Wir lesen gerne Bücher.

Breakdown of Wir lesen gerne Bücher.

das Buch
the book
wir
we
lesen
to read
gerne
gladly, willingly

Questions & Answers about Wir lesen gerne Bücher.

Why does the translation say "gladly read" instead of "We like reading books"?
This sentence is exactly how you say "We like reading books"! In English, we use the verb "to like" followed by another verb ("reading"). In German, you just use the action verb (lesen) and add the adverb gerne. So, Wir lesen gerne literally translates to "We read gladly," but it is the most natural way to say "We like reading."
The lesson teaches the word gern, but this sentence says gerne. What is the difference?
There is no difference in meaning at all! gern and gerne mean the exact same thing and are completely interchangeable. gerne is just a slightly longer version that is very common in everyday spoken German.
Why does gerne come right after the verb lesen?
In standard German statements, the conjugated verb (here, lesen) must be in the second position. Since the subject Wir takes the first spot, the verb has to come next. Adverbs that describe how you feel about doing the action, like gerne, usually drop in right after the verb.
How do we get Bücher from the basic word for "book"?
The singular word for book is Buch. To make it plural (books), German adds the ending -er and changes the vowel u into an umlaut ü, resulting in Bücher. Also, remember that all nouns in German, whether singular or plural, are always capitalized!

Learn Wir lesen gerne Bücher and more in German

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free