ablehnen
to reject
To say “no” to an offer, request, or suggestion; to not accept something.
EXAMPLE
Er hat das Jobangebot leider abgelehnt.
Unfortunately, he rejected the job offer.
ablehnen
to reject
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Meanings
ablehnen
to reject
To disapprove of or not approve of a person, thing, or behavior.
EXAMPLE
Ich lehne Gewalt in jeder Form strikt ab.
I strictly reject violence in any form.
ablehnen
to reject
In a formal or legal context, to reject an application or not allow a person (e.g., a judge) because of bias.
EXAMPLE
Der Antrag auf Beweismittel wurde vom Gericht abgelehnt.
The request for evidence was rejected by the court.
Usage tips
Separable verb
'Ablehnen' (to reject) is a separable verb. The prefix 'ab-' goes to the end of the sentence in a main clause. In subordinate clauses or in the infinitive with 'zu', the verb stays together.
EXAMPLE
Sie lehnte das Angebot sofort ab.
She rejected the offer immediately.
Typical collocations
In everyday language, 'ablehnen' (to reject) is often used with concrete offers or suggestions. Typical combinations are 'ein Angebot ablehnen' (to reject an offer), 'eine Einladung ablehnen' (to decline an invitation), or 'eine Bitte ablehnen' (to reject a request).
EXAMPLE
Leider musste ich die Einladung zur Party ablehnen.
Unfortunately, I had to decline the invitation to the party.
Sentence structure with infinitive
When someone refuses to do something, the structure 'es ablehnen, etwas zu tun' (to refuse to do something) is often used. The 'es' is a placeholder here for the following infinitive clause.
EXAMPLE
Die Firma lehnte es ab, die Gehälter zu erhöhen.
The company refused to raise the salaries.
Formal context
The meaning 'zurückweisen' (to reject) is mainly used in formal, legal, or administrative contexts. You rarely hear it in everyday language.
EXAMPLE
Sein Asylantrag wurde leider abgelehnt.
Unfortunately, his asylum application was rejected.
Compare with
ausschließenverzichtendankenabsagenverweigernhustenkippenabweisenverwehrenweigernzurückweisenverwerfenabschlagendurchfallenausschlagen
ablehnen vs ausschließen
to exclude / rule out
Ausschließen and ablehnen can both lead to an applicant not moving forward. Ablehnen refers to the negative decision on the application, while ausschließen emphasizes removing the applicant from the rest of the process. Use ablehnen for the decision and ausschließen when participation in the process is ended.
ablehnen
Die Firma lehnte die Bewerbung des Bewerbers ab.
The company rejected the applicant's application.
ausschließen
Die Firma schloss den Bewerber aus dem weiteren Verfahren aus.
The company excluded the applicant from the rest of the process.
In real life
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