süßen

Süßen is a German verb meaning to make something sweet, i.e., to add sugar, honey, or other sweeteners to food or drink. It is commonly used in culinary contexts, such as when preparing coffee, tea, desserts, or sauces, where a sweetening agent is added to adjust taste.

In present tense, süßen is a transitive verb and follows regular conjugation patterns. The basic forms include ich süße, du süßt, er süßt, wir süßen, ihr süßt, sie süßen. The past participle is gesüßt, and the perfect tense is formed with haben, for example: ich habe den Kaffee gesüßt.

Beyond its literal meaning, the verb has a related form with a prefix, versüßen, meaning to sweeten in a figurative sense. Versüßen can describe making a situation more pleasant or bearable, as in a pleasant interruption or relief that sweetens an otherwise difficult moment.

Etymology traces süßen back to the German word süß (sweet) with the standard verb suffix -en. The term is widely understood in everyday language and appears in recipes, cookbook instructions, and food-and-beverage discussions. Related lexical fields include the adjective süß, describing taste, and the noun Süße, which denotes sweetness or, in informal use, affection for something or someone sweet.