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Prefix Advent Calendar – 15

In this episode:

A quick look at the German word for "crime" - "das Verbrechen".

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by Emanuel

Schönen 15. Dezember euch allen!

verbrechen

Brechen means to break and verbrechen, with the change-ver, used to be just a stronger, result focused version: “to break for real, to break so it’s really broken”.
Both were also used in context of breaking the law and that’s the meaning verbrechen has today: to commit a crime.
The verb itself is rarely used, and never in present tense, but the related words, especially the noun, are super common.
der Verbrecher – the criminal
das Verbrechen – the crime

Ich habe nichts verbrochen.
I didn’t do anything wrong. (lit.: I didn’t commit a crime)

Ja, ich habe im Busch uriniert. Das ist doch kein Verbrechen.
Yes, I peed in the bush. But come on, that isn’t a crime.

Wenn ihr Fragen habt, oder ein paar eigene Beispiel ausprobieren wollt, schreibt einfach einen Kommentar.

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