starten

start

verb SHTAR-ten Less Common

Origin: from English start

Also means

launch

Usage Note

starten is an English loanword used for launching things, sports starts, and aeroplane take-offs (das Flugzeug startet). For starting more general activities Germans often prefer anfangen or beginnen. The 'st' is pronounced 'sht'.

Examples

"Das Flugzeug startet in zehn Minuten."

Natural Translation

The plane takes off in ten minutes.

Literal Translation

The plane starts in ten minutes.

Free starter pack

Building your German vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common German words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

German Days, Months & Seasons (am, im & -tag)

Days of the week in German use am, months and seasons use im — plus the -tag pattern, capitalized nouns, and how to build a real sentence with a day.

June 5, 2026 4 min read

GermanNow

German Modal Particles: doch, mal, ja, eben

German modal particles doch, mal, ja, and eben add attitude, not meaning. Before/after examples show how to use each one so your German stops sounding stiff.

June 9, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Greetings by Region: Grüß Gott to Grüezi

German greetings change by region: say Moin in Hamburg, Grüß Gott in Bavaria, Grüezi in Switzerland. A map of every hello and goodbye, plus du vs. Sie.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

Weil vs Denn vs Da: "Because" in German

Weil and da send the verb to the end; denn keeps it in second position. Here's how to pick the right German "because" and place the verb correctly.

June 5, 2026 6 min read