kréien + Participle

Getting Something Done for You: Kréien + Participle

Level 5

Ech krut e Buch geschenkt. (I was given a book.) With kréien + participle, the subject is the person who receives something, not the one who gives it.

How It Works

1. The receiver is the subject
In an active sentence, the giver is the subject: Meng Bomi huet mir e Buch geschenkt. With kréien, the receiver becomes the subject, and the giver can be left out:

  • Ech krut e Buch geschenkt. (I was given a book.)
  • All Kand krut e schéine roude Loftballon geschenkt. (Every child was given a nice red balloon.)

To name the giver, use vun: Meng Frëndin krut vun hirem Mann e schéine Bijou geschenkt.

2. Forms of kréien
ech kréien, du kriss, hie kritt, mir kréien, dir kritt, si kréien. The simple past is krut (plural kruten), and the participle is kritt. Watch the n-rule: kréie mer, kruten d'Kanner.

3. Word order
The participle goes to the end. In the perfect, the two participles stand together, and kritt comes last:

  • Hien huet en Auto geschenkt kritt. (He was given a car.)
  • Am Chimiescours hu mer erkläert kritt, wat bei der alkoholescher Gärung geschitt.

4. Getting something done for you
With other verbs, kréien can say that someone did a job for you: Meng Fra krut hire Brëll beim Optiker gefléckt. (My wife got her glasses repaired at the optician's.) To say that you arrange the job yourself, you can also use loossen: Si léisst hire Brëll flécken.

5. Managing to get it done
Kréien with a participle can also mean that you manage to do something yourself. It is often used with net: Dëse Problem kréie mer nach esou bal net geléist. (We won't get this problem solved any time soon.) Context tells you which meaning is meant.

6. Not the ginn passive
In the passive with ginn, the thing given is the subject: D'Buch gouf mir geschenkt. The receiver can only be the subject with kréien.

Examples (6)

  1. All Kand krut e schéine roude Loftballon geschenkt.

    Every child was given a nice red balloon.

    The children are the receivers, so they are the subject of krut.

  2. Ech krut mäin Aarbechtskontrakt haut mat der Post geschéckt.

    I got my employment contract sent to me by post today.

  3. Hien huet en Auto geschenkt kritt.

    He was given a car.

    In the perfect, kritt comes after the other participle.

  4. Am Chimiescours hu mer erkläert kritt, wat bei der alkoholescher Gärung geschitt.

    In chemistry class we had it explained to us what happens in alcoholic fermentation.

  5. Meng Fra krut hire Brëll beim Optiker gefléckt.

    My wife got her glasses repaired at the optician's.

    Someone else did the job for her.

  6. Dëse Problem kréie mer nach esou bal net geléist.

    We won't get this problem solved any time soon.

    Here kréien means to manage to get something done.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting kritt before the other participle in the perfect.

    Hien huet kritt en Auto geschenkt.
    Hien huet en Auto geschenkt kritt.

    Both participles go to the end, and kritt comes last: geschenkt kritt.

  • Using the ginn passive with the receiver as the subject (intended meaning: I was given a book).

    Ech gouf e Buch geschenkt.
    Ech krut e Buch geschenkt.

    In the ginn passive, the thing given is the subject: D'Buch gouf mir geschenkt. When the receiver is the subject, use kréien.

  • Using the wrong du form of kréien.

    Du kréis e Bréif geschéckt.
    Du kriss e Bréif geschéckt.

    Kréien is irregular: du kriss, hie kritt.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

kréien + ParticipleLevel 5Getting Something Done for You: Kréien + Participle

Learn This First

Before Getting Something Done for You: Kréien + Participle, learn The Passive: Ginn + Participle and Verbs With a Dative Object.

Words in This Pattern

kréienkréien