How to say "collect" in German

The German word for “to collect”, in the sense of accumulating items, is “sammeln”. With “ich” it can be written “sammele” or “sammle”:

– “Ich sammle Briefmarken.” – “I collect (postage) stamps.”
– “Ich sammele Münzen.” – “I collect coins.”

In the sense of “to gather”, as in items that are scattered about, the word is “einsammeln”, and in the sense of people getting together “versammeln”:

– “Ich muss die Spielzeuge einsammeln.” – “I have to gather (up) the toys.”
– “Die Gruppe versammelt sich am Freitag.” – “The group is gathering on Friday.”

Relatedly, to collect owed money the word is “eintreiben”. A “collecting point” is “Sammelstelle” (f.). In the sense of “picking something up” (such as the kids at school), the word is “abholen”.

Note: Interestingly, the word “sammeln” is actually related to “zusammen”, meaning “together” – which itself essentially comes from “to gather”. The modern English word “same” is also related.


Listen up, lurkers!

We filmed an entire beginner German course!


More cool stuff from Expath

The best ways to remember gender in German

How's your German? Take our free online test!

How to get a handle on childcare in Berlin

Join us for small online German classes for English speakers

How to go about finding a flat in Berlin and Germany

All the different ways to say you're exhausted in German

Want to work as a freelancer in Germany but need more info?

Want to live and work in Germany but not sure how to do it?

How to obtain an artist visa for Berlin

How do English speakers find jobs in Germany?

All of Expath's German "words of the day"

How to tell time in German