Why do I need to know this word?
Because it’s an adjective which is used a lot in German and it also forms part of many other words. Knowing what it means will help you to figure out the definition of other words and broaden your vocabulary.
What does it mean?
Bereit, which sounds like this, means “ready” in English and it is used in almost exactly the same way to express being mentally or physically prepared for an experience or action. Linked to this feeling of preparedness is the other meaning of bereit in German: the adjective can also mean "willing".
The origin of the word is thought to derive from the verb reiten meaning “to ride” and originally meant something like "to be prepared for the ride".
Bereit in other words
Adding the letter ‘s’ to the end of bereit changes the meaning to “already” and can be used like this:
Das habe ich dir bereits gesagt!
I already told you that!
Bereit can also be found in many other adjectives, to express readiness or willingness to perform a certain action, for example, hilfsbereit means “ready to help”, arbeitsbereit means "ready to work" and einsatzbereit means “ready for service”.
Bereit also appears in a lot of German verbs which include some sense of readiness. One example is the separable verb vorbereiten, meaning “to prepare”. The verb bereitstellen meaning “to provide” (literally “to put ready”) is another useful verb to know.
Use it like this:
Ich bin bereit, dir zu helfen
I’m willing to help you
Der Zug steht zur Abfahrt bereit
The train is ready for departure
Bitte halten Sie ihre Kundennummer bereit
Please have your customer number ready
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