Understanding the Difference Between hin and her in German

A Practical Guide with Verbs, Examples, and Tips

If you’ve been learning German for a while, you’ve probably stumbled over hin and her. They’re small words—but they can make a big difference. Understanding the subtle difference between hin and her will help you speak more naturally, especially when using motion verbs like kommen, gehen, bringen, or nehmen.

So let’s break it down.

Recommended study materials on the topic:

• Langenscheidt Go Smart - German Verbs

• A-Grammar: Practice German grammar German (incl. answers)

• German self-study book for A1-B1  (incl. answers)

• German Verb Charts: Learning Regular and Irregular Verbs at a glance

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What’s the Basic Difference?

In short:

• hin = "away from the speaker" (sounds a lot like “him”, just swap the “m” for an “n” at the end)

• her = "towards the speaker" (sounds like the English “hair”)

Think of yourself as the center point.

• If something is going away from you, it’s hin.

• If something is coming towards you, it’s her.

✔️ Tip: Always ask: Where is the action going: towards me or away from me?

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Common Verbs with hin and her

These little words often appear in compound verbs, especially verbs of movement. In German, verbs with hin or her as prefixes are usually separable.

Verb (with translation)	With hin	English (hin)	With her	English (her)
gehen (to go)	hingehen	to go there	hergehen	to come this way
kommen (to come)	hinkommen	to get there	herkommen	to come here
bringen (to bring)	hinbringen	to take there	herbringen	to bring here
nehmen (to take)	hinnehmen	to take away	hernehmen	to use from here
legen (to lay/place)	hinlegen	to lay down there	herlegen	to place here
stellen (to put upright)	hinstellen	to put there	herstellen	to place here, used idiomatically as ‘to produce’
fahren (to drive/go)	hinfahren	to drive there	herfahren	to drive here
schicken (to send)	hinschicken	to send there	herschicken	to send here
ziehen (to pull)	hinziehen	to pull over there	herziehen	to pull here
werfen (to throw)	hinwerfen	to throw there	herwerfen	to throw here

Examples in Context

Let’s look at real sentences that show the difference clearly:

1. Komm her!

Come here! (towards me)

You’re calling your dog or a friend to come to where you are.

2. Geh da hin!

Go there! (away from me)

You’re telling someone to go somewhere else—maybe into another room.

3. Kannst du mir das Buch herbringen?

Can you bring me the book? (to where I am)

You're asking someone to bring something to you.

4. Ich bringe es morgen zur Post hin.

I’ll take it to the post office tomorrow. (away from me)

You’re taking it away from your current location.

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Remember: In German, use hin for actions that move away from you and her for actions that come toward you!

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Hin and Her in German Nouns

In German, hin and her are not only used with verbs — they also appear in compound nouns, especially when talking about travel, movement, or direction. These nouns capture a sense of motion, either toward (her) or away from (hin) the speaker’s point of view. They are often used in everyday language when planning trips, talking about transport, or describing situations with back-and-forth movement.

German Noun	Prefix	Translation	Usage / Context
die Hinreise	hin	outbound journey	The trip going away from your current location.
die Hinfahrt	hin	outbound trip (by vehicle)	The drive/train/bus ride to a destination, away from where you are.
die Herfahrt	her	arrival trip / trip here	The trip coming toward the speaker (e.g. when someone visits you).
der Hinweg	hin	way there	The path or route going somewhere.
der Herweg	her	way here	The path someone takes to come toward you.
die Hinführung	hin	introduction / leading toward	Used for introductions or leading someone/something toward a topic/place.
die Herleitung	her	derivation	Explaining or tracing something back to a source (esp. in logic/language).
die Hinbewegung	hin	movement away	General movement in a direction away from a point of reference.
die Herbewegung	her	movement toward	General movement toward a point of reference (you/the speaker).
die Hinwendung	hin	turning toward	Used for physical or abstract turning (e.g. toward a goal, interest, topic).

hin vs. hinaus / her vs. herein

While hin and her show general direction — hin = away from the speaker, her = toward the speaker — you’ll often see more specific versions like hinaus and herein. All of these are directional adverbs as they describe movement relative to the speaker.

• Use hinaus when something is going outward (e.g. out of a room or building).

• Use herein when someone is coming inward toward you.
  For example:
  👉 Er geht hinaus. – He’s going out.
  👉 Komm herein! – Come in!

Bonus: hin und her

➡️ "Hin und her" = "back and forth"

This phrase is used in all kinds of daily situations:

• Der Chef schickt die E-Mails hin und her.
  The boss keeps sending emails back and forth.

• Sie läuft nervös hin und her.
  She’s pacing back and forth nervously.

Why This Matters

Mastering hin and her helps you:

• Sound more fluent and natural

• Use motion and direction verbs precisely

• Avoid common misunderstandings in conversation

Quick Practice Exercise

Match the English to the correct German phrase:

1. Can you bring the keys here?

2. I’m going there later.

3. She throws the ball here.

4. He walks back and forth.

🧠 Try it first—answers below!

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Conclusion

Hin and her may seem like small words, but they’re packed with meaning. When in doubt, just ask yourself:
➡️ Is the action moving towards me (her) or away from me (hin)?

Check out also the motion verbs “stellen,” “legen,” and “setzen” in German!

Bis bald!

Steffie

Answers:

1. Kannst du die Schlüssel herbringen?

2. Ich gehe später hin.

3. Sie wirft den Ball her.

4. Er läuft hin und her.

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Hi there, I'm Stefanie, the author of the blog post you're reading.

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