flunkern
German
Etymology
Borrowed from German Low German [Term?]. The original meaning is “to gleam, move quickly”. Compare flink. The meaning “to boast, stretch the truth” (probably from “want to shine, be brilliant”) already developed in Low German.
Pronunciation
Verb
flunkern (weak, third-person singular present flunkert, past tense flunkerte, past participle geflunkert, auxiliary haben)
- to tell harmless lies, to brag in an exaggerating way, to fib
Conjugation
Conjugation of flunkern (weak, auxiliary haben)
| infinitive | flunkern | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| present participle | flunkernd | ||||
| past participle | geflunkert | ||||
| auxiliary | haben | ||||
| indicative | subjunctive | ||||
| singular | plural | singular | plural | ||
| present | ich flunkre ich flunkere ich flunker |
wir flunkern | i | ich flunkere ich flunkre |
wir flunkern |
| du flunkerst | ihr flunkert | du flunkerest du flunkrest |
ihr flunkeret ihr flunkret | ||
| er flunkert | sie flunkern | er flunkere er flunkre |
sie flunkern | ||
| preterite | ich flunkerte | wir flunkerten | ii | ich flunkerte1 | wir flunkerten1 |
| du flunkertest | ihr flunkertet | du flunkertest1 | ihr flunkertet1 | ||
| er flunkerte | sie flunkerten | er flunkerte1 | sie flunkerten1 | ||
| imperative | flunkre (du) flunker (du) flunkere (du) |
flunkert (ihr) | |||
1Rare except in very formal contexts; alternative in würde normally preferred.
Composed forms of flunkern (weak, auxiliary haben)
Synonyms
- (tell lies): schwindeln, aufschneiden
Derived terms
- Flunkern, Flunkerer, Flunkerei, Geflunker
- flunkernd, geflunkert
- anflunkern