verb
to do, to perform
A1
tun means to do or to perform. Common senses: carry out an action, perform a task. Strong irregular verb (Präteritum tat, perfekt getan). Uses auxiliary haben. Non-reflexive and not separable. Imperative singular: tu. Very frequent, often generic or filler verb in spoken German.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.EXAMPLES
Er tat, was er konnte.
He did what he could.
Was soll ich tun?
What should I do?
Der Mechaniker tat alles, was nötig war, obwohl das Ersatzteil fehlte.
The mechanic did everything that was necessary, although the spare part was missing.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.DETAILS_LABEL
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.MNEMONICS
Picture someone doing a task labeled 'tun'.
Sounds like English 'toon' — think 'to do'.
N/A
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.NOTES
Frequently used verb often replaced by more specific verbs in many contexts (machen). Past tense 'tat', participle 'getan'.