Wir ziehen aus unserer Wohnung und verlassen Berlin
A2 German listening practice · German · Curated for beginners
What’s the difference between “ausziehen” and “verlassen” in German?
German uses two different verbs where English collapses into “to leave.” Ausziehen (separable: aus + ziehen) means to move out of an apartment, a flat-share, or a parents' house. Verlassen is broader: leaving a city, a country, a relationship, a job. A German who says ich ziehe aus signals a small move (boxes, a moving van); ich verlasse Berlin signals a bigger life change. The pair gives German conversation a precision English lacks; you can stack them in one sentence to escalate the emotional weight.
In this clip, a couple announces their move: “wir ziehen nicht nur aus dieser Wohnung aus, wir verlassen auch Berlin” (“we’re not just moving out of this apartment, we’re also leaving Berlin”).
Vocabulary frequency
How common is the vocabulary in this A2 German listening practice listening practice?
General German frequency
Spoken German frequency
Words above this video’s level
Quick glosses for vocabulary that goes beyond this video’s A2 level.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-DE 2011 (spoken). Buckets approximate; exact ranks not stored.
- ▸In German real-estate and apartment-listing content (ImmobilienScout24, eBay Kleinanzeigen)
- ▸In German young-adult sitcoms and films (Berlin, Berlin, Skylines)
- ▸In German mover-and-relocation YouTube channels
- ▸In German breakup-and-relationship advice columns
- ▸In German emigration-and-return stories on Deutsche Welle and Tagesschau