20 German Verbs to Use with Geld (Money)

Talking about money in German means knowing more than just numbers — it means knowing the right verb for earning, spending, saving, and everything in between. This lesson covers 20 German verbs commonly used together with Geld (money), from everyday spending to banking and investing. Everyday Money Verbs Some of the most common verbs you'll need are bezahlen (to pay), brauchen (to need), verdienen (to earn), sparen (to save), ausgeben (to spend), and geben (to give) — the basic actions behind almost any conversation about money. Banking and Transferring Money For anything involving a bank, you'll want überweisen (to transfer), wechseln and umtauschen (to exchange currency), einzahlen (to deposit), and abheben (to withdraw). Notice that several of these — einzahlen, abheben, annehmen — are separable verbs, which means the prefix splits off in a main clause exactly the way it does with any other trennbares Verb. Investing, Winning and Losing Money Rounding out the list: investieren and anlegen (to invest), verlieren (to lose), gewinnen (to win), zählen (to count), and — for describing bad habits — vergeuden and verschwenden, both meaning 'to waste' money. Frequently Asked Questions What's the difference between sparen and investieren? Sparen means to save money, typically by simply setting it aside, while investieren means to actively invest it, implying some expectation of growth or return. Are any of these money verbs separable verbs? Yes — einzahlen (to deposit) and abheben (to withdraw) are both separable verbs, meaning their prefixes split off and move to the end of the clause in a main sentence. What's the difference between wechseln and umtauschen? Both can mean 'to exchange', but wechseln is more commonly used for currency exchange, while umtauschen is often used more broadly, including exchanging purchased goods. What are vergeuden and verschwenden used for? Both mean 'to waste', specifically in the context of wasting money — vergeuden and verschwenden are essentially interchangeable in this everyday use. Why learn money vocabulary as a themed group like this? Grouping related verbs together, rather than learning them in isolation, makes it easier to build full sentences about a single topic — like managing your finances — instead of just recognizing individual words.

Want to build real conversational fluency, not just vocabulary lists? Our A1 German course ties grammar and vocabulary together. { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "What's the difference between sparen and investieren?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Sparen means to save money, typically by simply setting it aside, while investieren means to actively invest it, implying some expectation of growth or return." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Are any of these money verbs separable verbs?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes — einzahlen (to deposit) and abheben (to withdraw) are both separable verbs, meaning their prefixes split off and move to the end of the clause in a main sentence." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What's the difference between wechseln and umtauschen?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Both can mean 'to exchange', but wechseln is more commonly used for currency exchange, while umtauschen is often used more broadly, including exchanging purchased goods." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What are vergeuden and verschwenden used for?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Both mean 'to waste', specifically in the context of wasting money — vergeuden and verschwenden are essentially interchangeable in this everyday use." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Why learn money vocabulary as a themed group like this?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Grouping related verbs together, rather than learning them in isolation, makes it easier to build full sentences about a single topic — like managing your finances — instead of just recognizing individual words." } } ] }