verb
to address someone formally, to use the formal ''Sie'' with someone
B1
'siezen' means to address someone formally using the pronoun 'Sie' — to treat someone with formal 'you', opposite of 'duzen'. It's a regular weak verb (Partizip: gesiezt), uses auxiliary 'haben' for perfect tenses, is non‑reflexive and takes a direct object (jemanden siezen).
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Der Direktor siezte die neuen Mitarbeiter, weil die Firma formalere Regeln hatte.
The director addressed the new employees formally ('Sie') because the company had more formal rules.
Bitte siezen Sie die Professorin, bis sie Ihnen etwas anderes sagt.
Please address the professor formally until she tells you otherwise.
Ich sieze meinen Chef.
I use the formal 'you' with my boss.
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picture two people bowing slightly while saying 'Guten Tag, Sie' to show formal address
sounds like 'see-zen' — imagine 'see' + 'zen' to picture formal distance
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.NOTES
Used to describe the act of using the formal second-person pronoun 'Sie'. Opposite is 'duzen' (to use 'du'). Common in formal, professional, or unfamiliar social contexts.