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German frequency list

No. 661 in German

lief

"Lief" is not a standalone word in German; it is the third-person singular past tense form of the verb "laufen," which means "ran" or "walked."

In a sentence

  • Er lief schnell zum Laden.

    He ran quickly to the store.

    Here, 'lief' is the past tense of the verb 'laufen', which means 'to run'. The sentence talks about a past action where someone ran to a store.

  • Das Wasser lief über den Rand des Glases.

    The water ran over the edge of the glass.

    In this sentence, 'lief' also comes from 'laufen' but is used metaphorically to describe the movement of water, showing that it overflowed.

  • Es lief alles nach Plan.

    Everything went according to plan.

    Here, 'lief' is part of the phrase 'lief nach Plan', and 'laufen' in this context metaphorically implies progress or development, meaning that everything happened as planned.

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