verderben

See also: Verderben

German

Etymology

From Middle High German [Term?]

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɛɐ̯ˈdɛʁbən/
• Hyphenation: ver‧der‧ben
• Homophone: Verderben

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

1. (transitive, with haben) to deprive (someone) of (something); to rob (someone) of (some feeling)
2. (transitive, with haben) to ruin; to render (something) useless; to corrupt; to spoil
3. (intransitive, usually of food, with sein) to spoil; to rot; to perish
4. (intransitive, with sein) to be offensive; to live sinfully

Usage notes

In most contexts, the verb has strong conjugation. However, it has weak conjugation when referring to a written document: Der Text ist verderbt – The text is corrupted. (Chiefly, only the past participle is used in this sense.) Also, in archaic German, verderbt could be used in other senses as well.

Derived terms

• Verderben
• Verderber
• verderblich
• Verderbnis
• viele Köche verderben den Brei
• sich den Magen verderben

Further reading

• “verderben” in Duden online