B2verb · transitive · common

alternate

alternate · alternates · alternated · alternating

стрибати, стрибнути, скакати

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alternieren, wechseln zwischen, abwechseln

To perform by turns, or in successionTo perform by turns, or in succession; to cause to succeed by turns; to interchange regularly.

ⓘⓘ

UK/ˈɒl.tə(ɹ)ˌneɪt/US/ˈɔl.tɚ.neɪt/

» May I suggest an alternate plan?

Darf ich einen alternativen Plan vorschlagen? — Waldelfe

CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR

Meaning

4 senses

(transitive)To perform by turns, or in succession; to cause to succeed by turns; to interchange regularly.
alternieren
(intransitive)To happen, succeed, or act by turns; to follow reciprocally in place or time; followed by with.
The flood and ebb tides alternate with each other.
abwechseln, alternieren
(intransitive)To vary by turns.
The land alternates between rocky hills and sandy plains.
wechseln zwischen, alternieren
do something in turns
(transitive)To perform an alternation (removal of alternate vertices) on (a polytope or tessellation); to remove vertices (from a face or edge) as part of an alternation.

Examples

55 sentences

May I suggest an alternate plan?
deDarf ich einen alternativen Plan vorschlagen? — Waldelfe
CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · B2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
Tom must've had an alternate plan.
ruДолжно быть, у Тома имелся запасной план. — RU
CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · B2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
Tom has come up with an alternate plan.
CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · B2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
He proposed an alternate plan.
ruОн предложил альтернативный план. — afyodor
CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · B2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
Tom proposed an alternate plan.
CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · B2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem

Translations

4 languages

Deutsch

By meaning 3

to perform by turns:

to happen, succeed, or act by turns:

to vary by turns:

Origin

Borrowed from Latin alternātus, the perfect passive participle of Latin alternō (“to take

Borrowed from Latin alternātus, the perfect passive participle of Latin alternō (“to take turns”) (see -ate (1,2 and 3)), from alternus (“one after another, by turns”), from alter (“other”) + -nus. Doublet of altern; see also alter.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

alternates, alternating, alternated, alternated

Base form	alternate · to alternate
3rd person singular	alternates
Present participle	alternating
Past simple	alternated
Past participle	alternated

regular · Lesson

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, they	alternate
he, she, it	alternates

Past simpleLesson

all persons

alternated

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, they	have alternated
he, she, it	has alternated

Future simple (will)Lesson

all persons

will alternate

Synonyms

10 synonyms

seesawB2 interchange

Close in meaning

do something in turns:take turns
go back and forth; swing back and forth between two states or conditions:jump
be an understudy or alternate for a role:understudy
reverse (a direction, attitude, or course of action):interchange tack switch flip flip-flop

Lessons for this word

3 lessons

A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle

Collocations

3 patterns

an alternate plan
an an alternate
alternate plan