verb
to be cold, to freeze
B1
Means 'to be cold' (feel cold) or 'to freeze'. Strong irregular verb: preterite fror, past participle gefroren. Uses auxiliary haben (Perfekt: ich habe gefroren). Non‑reflexive. Stem vowel change i → o. Used intransitively for people feeling cold (ich friere) or for things freezing.
Examples
Die Gäste froren in dem alten Haus, weil die Heizung seit Tagen ausgefallen war.
The guests were freezing in the old house because the heating had been out for days.
Im Winter friere ich oft ohne warme Kleidung.
In winter I often feel cold without warm clothes.
Ich friere, es ist kalt.
I'm freezing; it's cold.
Details
Mnemonics
Picture someone wrapped in a coat shivering with visible cold breath to remember 'frieren'.
Sounds like English 'freezing' — frieren ≈ freezing.
Notes
frieren is typically intransitive when it means 'to feel cold' (ich friere). It can appear transitively in contexts like 'etwas friert' (something freezes). The perfect is formed with haben: 'ich habe gefroren'. | Intransitive verb; passive forms are not applicable.