Vocabulary
straffen
/ˈʃtʁafn̩/· verb
to tighten, streamline (a text, a procedure); to pull taut
A text that rambles gets gestrafft: fewer words, the same message. Companies straffen their procedures; a rope is gestrafft until it's taut.
CEFR C1Frequency ●●●●●
Your memory
New
Learning
Familiar
Strong
Mastered
Forms
- Imperativ
- Straff(e)! · Strafft! · Straffen Sie!
Conjugation
- ich
- straffe
- du
- straffst
- er/sie/es
- strafft
- wir
- straffen
- ihr
- strafft
- sie/Sie
- straffen
Perfekt hat gestrafftPräteritum straffte
One word, many lives
Tap a meaning. Real German isn't a dictionary translation.
straffen
to tighten, streamline (a text, a process)
Wir müssen den Mittelteil straffen.
We need to tighten the middle section.
Word family
straffenstrafftight, taut; tightly organiseddie Straffungtightening, streamlining
Common combinations
- einen Text straffento tighten a text
- den Ablauf straffento streamline the procedure
- eine gestraffte Fassunga tightened version
Similar & opposite
≈ Synonyms
kürzenverdichten
Common learner mistakes
- Ich habe den Text gestraft.Ich habe den Text gestrafft.Two f's: straffen means to tighten. strafen, with one f, means to punish — gestraft.
Real examples
- Ich habe den Kommentar gestrafft, die Kernaussage ist geblieben.I've tightened the commentary; the key message has stayed.
- Straff den Einstieg, dann sind wir bei 3.000 Zeichen.Tighten the opening and we'll be at 3,000 characters.
- Die gestraffte Fassung liest sich viel flüssiger.The tightened version reads much more smoothly.
