to burn down / set off
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to burn down
To be completely destroyed by fire; to burn down to the foundations. Usually used for buildings or forests.
Bei dem Großbrand ist die Lagerhalle vollständig abgebrannt.
In the major fire, the warehouse burned down completely.
to set off
To ignite fireworks in a controlled way and make them explode.
An Silvester wird auf der Straße viel Feuerwerk abgebrannt.
On New Year's Eve, a lot of fireworks are set off in the street.
to be broke
A colloquial expression for having no money left.
Ich kann diesen Monat nicht mehr ausgehen, ich bin total abgebrannt.
I can't go out anymore this month; I'm totally broke.
to burn down
To deliberately destroy something by fire.
Aus Protest brannten die Aktivisten symbolisch eine Puppe ab.
As a protest, the activists symbolically burned down a puppet.
'Abbrennen' is a separable verb. The prefix 'ab-' stands at the end in a main clause, remains connected to the verb in a subordinate clause, and in the infinitive with 'zu', 'zu' is placed in the middle.
Die alte Fabrik brannte letzte Nacht komplett ab.
The old factory burned down completely last night.
The auxiliary verb in the perfect tense depends on the meaning. When something burns by itself (meaning 1), you use 'sein'. When someone actively lights something (meanings 2 and 4), you use 'haben'.
Die Scheune ist leider vollständig abgebrannt.
Unfortunately, the barn burned down completely.
When something burns down on its own, it is the subject of the sentence. When a person deliberately burns something down, that person is the subject and the thing that burns is the accusative object.
Der ganze Wald brannte ab.
The whole forest burned down.
In the meaning of 'zünden' (to ignite/set off), 'abbrennen' is used almost exclusively with fireworks. Typical combinations are 'ein Feuerwerk abbrennen' (to set off fireworks), 'eine Rakete abbrennen' (to set off a rocket), or 'einen Böller abbrennen' (to set off a firecracker).
Bitte brennen Sie das Feuerwerk nur an einem sicheren Ort ab.
Please set off the fireworks only in a safe place.
The form 'abgebrannt sein' (to be broke) is a very common colloquial expression. It means that you currently have no money left at all.
Ich würde gerne mit ins Kino kommen, aber ich bin am Ende des Monats immer total abgebrannt.
I would like to come to the movies, but at the end of the month I'm always totally broke.
to burn
Verbrennen generally refers to destruction by fire and can apply to different things. Abbrennen emphasizes that, in particular, a building or forest is completely destroyed by fire. Verbrennen is suitable for individual objects, while abbrennen is more appropriate for the complete destruction of a house.
Bei dem Brand brannte das ganze Haus bis auf die Grundmauern ab.
The fire burned the entire house down to the foundations.
Bei dem Brand verbrannten alle Möbel im Wohnzimmer.
In the fire, all the furniture in the living room burned.
