Ausgeben VS Verbringen VS Verschwenden 🎯

b1.1 vocabulary

Ausgeben, verbringen, or verschwenden — which one do you use when you want to say "to spend" in German? 🤔 In this video lesson, we break down three German verbs that get mixed up constantly. Ausgeben and verbringen both translate to "to spend" in English, but they are NOT interchangeable in German — and verschwenden adds "to waste" into the mix.

Three Verbs, Three Different Meanings

Ausgeben, verbringen, and verschwenden all show up in English as "to spend" or "to waste" — but in German, they are three completely different verbs, each tied to a specific kind of object. Mix them up and a native speaker will immediately notice. Here's exactly when to use each one, with real example sentences.

1. Ausgeben — to spend (money)

Ausgeben is used specifically for spending money: Geld ausgeben. It's a trennbares Verb (separable verb), so in present tense the prefix aus- splits off and moves to the end of the sentence.

"Mein Vater gibt zu viel Geld aus." — My father spends too much money.
"Wie viel Geld hast du ausgegeben?" — How much money did you spend? (ausgegeben = Partizip II of ausgeben, used for the Perfekt/present perfect tense)
"Wie viel Geld hast du für das Handy ausgegeben?" — How much money did you spend on the phone?
"Wie viel Geld hast du im Urlaub ausgegeben?" — How much money did you spend on vacation?
"Wofür hast du dein Taschengeld ausgegeben?" — What did you spend your pocket money on? → "Ich habe mein Taschengeld für Videospiele ausgegeben." — I spent my pocket money on video games.

Wofür vs. für was: Wofür is the grammatically "correct" textbook form (a wo-da-compound word) — use this in exams and written German. In everyday spoken German, though, you'll hear the simpler preposition + was far more often: "Für was hast du dein Taschengeld ausgegeben?" Same applies to mit was, von was, and so on.

2. Verbringen — to spend (time)

Verbringen is used specifically for spending time: Zeit verbringen. Unlike ausgeben, verbringen always requires a direct object (Akkusativobjekt) — and that object always has to be a time word: Zeit, Tage, Stunden, das Wochenende, den Sommer, die Kindheit, and so on.

"Tom verbringt zu viel Zeit im Fitnessstudio." — Tom spends too much time at the gym.
"Wir haben drei Tage am Meer verbracht." — We spent three days at the beach. (verbracht = Partizip II of verbringen)
"Marina verbringt mehr als vier Stunden pro Tag am Handy." — Marina spends more than four hours a day on her phone.
"Meine Mutter hat das Wochenende zu Hause verbracht." — My mother spent the weekend at home.

More combinations you'll hear constantly: ich verbringe den Tag/Abend zu Hause, ich verbringe den Sommer/Winter in Spanien, ich habe die Kindheit/Jugend in der Schweiz verbracht, ich verbringe den Urlaub/die Pause am Strand.

Bonus tip: wie lange vs. wie viel Zeit

One of the most common mistakes German learners make with verbringen: asking "Wie lange verbringst du täglich mit dem Handy?" This is incorrect — because verbringen always needs a direct object, and wie lange doesn't provide one.

The fix: replace wie lange with wie viel Zeit, since Zeit itself becomes the direct object.

✅ "Wie viel Zeit verbringst du täglich am Handy?" — How much time do you spend on your phone each day?
✅ "Wie viel Zeit hast du in Spanien verbracht?" — How much time did you spend in Spain?

You can also get more specific: "Wie viele Stunden verbringst du täglich am Handy?" Notice the spelling difference: wie viel (no -e) because Zeit is uncountable, but wie viele (with -e) before countable nouns like Stunden or Tage.

3. Verschwenden — to waste

Verschwenden means "to waste," and the five things you'll most commonly hear it paired with are: Zeit (time), Geld (money), Energie (energy), Wasser (water), and Lebensmittel (food and drinks — literally "things you need to live").

"Mein Sohn verschwendet zu viel Zeit am Computer." — My son wastes too much time on the computer.
"Hast du früher auch zu viel Geld für teure Klamotten verschwendet?" — Did you also waste too much money on expensive clothes in the past? (früher = in the past/when you were younger; Klamotten is the colloquial, everyday word for clothes — more common in spoken German than Kleidung or Kleider)
"Alte Klimaanlagen verschwenden sehr viel Energie." — Old air conditioners waste a lot of energy.
"Heutzutage sollte man keine Lebensmittel verschwenden." — Nowadays, one shouldn't waste food.
"Womit hast du gestern am meisten Zeit verschwendet?" — What did you waste the most time on yesterday? → "Ich habe gestern Zeit mit einem Handyspiel verschwendet." — I wasted time playing a mobile game yesterday.

Just like wofür and für was with ausgeben, womit is the correct textbook form, while mit was is the common spoken alternative you'll hear on the street.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between ausgeben and verbringen?

Both translate to "spend" in English, but they aren't interchangeable in German. Ausgeben is only used for spending money (Geld ausgeben); verbringen is only used for spending time (Zeit verbringen).

Why is "Wie lange verbringst du am Handy?" incorrect German?

Because verbringen always requires a direct object (Akkusativobjekt), and wie lange doesn't provide one. Use wie viel Zeit instead, since Zeit functions as the direct object verbringen needs.

What can you waste with verschwenden in German?

The five most common things are Zeit (time), Geld (money), Energie (energy), Wasser (water), and Lebensmittel (food and drinks).

Should I use wofür/womit or für was/mit was?

Wofür and womit are the grammatically correct, textbook forms — use these in exams and written German. Für was and mit was (a simple preposition + was) are far more common in everyday spoken German.

Want to build a stronger B1 vocabulary with real, spoken-German examples like these? Check out our B1.1 Level Course.