orientieren

orient

verb o-ri-en-TEE-ren Less Common

Origin: from French orienter

Also means

guide

Usage Note

orientieren is usually reflexive: sich orientieren means to get one's bearings, and sich an etwas orientieren means to take something as a guide or model. Non-reflexively jemanden orientieren means to inform someone.

Examples

"Ich kann mich hier nicht orientieren."

Natural Translation

I can't get my bearings here.

Literal Translation

I can myself here not orient.

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

German Cases Explained Simply (4 Cases)

German has four cases, and each answers one question: wer, wen, wem, wessen. Learn nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive without drowning in charts.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

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

Wo, Wohin, Woher: Three Ways to Say Where

German splits where into three: wo (location), wohin (destination), and woher (origin). Learn the wo vs wohin rule, the hin/her logic, and common mistakes.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German False Friends: 25 Words That Trick You

German false friends like Gift (poison) and bekommen (to receive) trick English speakers daily. Here are 25 words that mean the opposite of what you'd guess.

June 5, 2026 5 min read