to check off
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to check off
To mark something on a list with a check mark or another mark to show that it has been completed or checked.
Ich muss noch die letzten Punkte auf meiner To-do-Liste abhaken.
I still have to check off the last items on my to-do list.
to put behind you
To mentally consider something finished and no longer deal with it or let it burden you.
Die verpatzte Prüfung habe ich für mich abgehakt und konzentriere mich jetzt auf die nächste.
I've put the botched exam behind me and am now focusing on the next one.
'Abhaken' (to check off) is a separable verb. The prefix 'ab' comes at the end in a main clause, but stays attached to the verb in a subordinate clause. In the infinitive with 'zu', 'zu' comes between 'ab' and 'haken'.
Er hakt den letzten Punkt auf der Liste ab.
He checks off the last item on the list.
The verb is made up of 'ab' and 'haken'. 'Haken' comes from 'der Haken' (check mark/hook). Literally, it means to put a check mark next to something in order to mark it as done.
Kannst du bitte die Namen auf der Gästeliste abhaken?
Could you please check off the names on the guest list?
This meaning is a metaphor: you mentally put a check mark behind a topic to signal that you no longer want to deal with it. It is about emotional or mental closure.
Nach dem Streit wollte er die Sache einfach nur noch abhaken.
After the argument, he just wanted to put the matter behind him.
to take care of / to finish
Erledigen means bringing the task itself to an end. Abhaken, by contrast, refers to marking it as completed afterward. Use erledigen for carrying out the task and abhaken for putting a check mark next to it on a list.
Nach dem Anruf hakt Lea den Punkt auf ihrer Aufgabenliste ab.
After the call, Lea checks the item off her to-do list.
Lea erledigt am Vormittag den Anruf bei der Versicherung.
Lea takes care of the call to the insurance company in the morning.
