lehnen

lean

verb LAY-nen Less Common

Usage Note

lehnen means to 'lean' against something: Er lehnt an der Wand ('he leans against the wall'). Reflexive sich lehnen describes leaning oneself, and with the prefix ab- it becomes ablehnen ('to reject'), a very different meaning. Don't confuse it with leihen ('to lend/borrow').

Examples

"Sie lehnt an der Tür."

Natural Translation

She leans against the door.

Literal Translation

She leans on the door.

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