How talk about arguing in German

In English, arguing with someone (about something) in a heated way is different from arguing for (or against) an idea or action. In the German language, these actions are expressed by two separate words – “streiten” and “argumentieren”, respectively:

– “Stop arguing with him!” – “Hör auf mit ihm zu streiten!”
– “Sie haben sich gestritten.” – “They argued with each other.”
– “Er streitet sich immer mit dir.” – “I always argue with you.”
– “Ich argumentiere für diese Lösung.” – “I am arguing for/in favor of this solution.”
– “Er argumentiert immer dagegen.” – “He always argues against it.”

The corresponding nouns are “Streit” (m.) for “dispute” or “quarrel” and “Argument” (n.). The word “Argument” also means “argument” in the sense of a “reason meant to persuade others”:

– “Er hat den Streit angefangen.” – “He started the quarrel.”
– “Sie hatte die besten Argumente.” – “She had the best arguments.”


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