to deport / shift off
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to deport
To return a person who is staying in a country without a right of residence to their country of origin or another country by official order.
Der abgelehnte Asylbewerber soll nächste Woche abgeschoben werden.
The rejected asylum seeker is to be deported next week.
'Abschieben' (to deport / to shift off) is a separable verb. The prefix 'ab-' goes to the end in a main clause. In subordinate clauses and in the infinitive with 'zu', the verb stays together.
Er schiebt die Verantwortung immer ab.
He always shifts the responsibility off.
This meaning belongs to official language and is often used in news reports or official documents. The verb frequently appears in the passive voice to describe the official procedure.
Der Mann soll laut Bescheid nächste Woche abgeschoben werden.
According to the notice, the man is to be deported next week.
When passing on a task or responsibility, 'abschieben' (to shift off) requires the preposition 'auf' with the accusative. The structure is: etwas (acc.) auf jemanden (acc.) abschieben.
Sie hat die Schuld für den Fehler auf ihre Kollegin abgeschoben.
She shifted the blame for the mistake onto her colleague.
The use of 'abschieben' (to shift off) for tasks or responsibility is colloquial. It is used mainly in spoken language.
Kannst du bitte aufhören, deine Arbeit auf mich abzuschieben?
Could you please stop shifting your work off onto me?
to take over / take on
'übernehmen' and 'abschieben auf' form a clear opposite when it comes to responsibility. Someone who takes on a task or responsibility accepts it and takes care of it. Someone who shifts responsibility off onto others passes it on, often even though they would actually be responsible themselves. In this context, 'übernehmen' sounds neutral or positive. 'abschieben' sounds colloquial and negative because it suggests avoidance or trying to escape blame.
Wir schieben die schwierige Aufgabe nicht auf die neue Kollegin ab.
We are not shifting the difficult task off onto the new colleague.
Im Kurs übernimmt Mehmet die Verantwortung für die Gruppenarbeit.
In the course, Mehmet takes responsibility for the group project.