to coordinate / deny
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to coordinate
To consult with one or more people in order to reach a joint agreement or coordinate how to proceed.
Habt ihr euch abgesprochen, was ihr ihm zum Geburtstag schenkt?
Did you coordinate with each other about what you’re giving him for his birthday?
to agree on
To agree on or decide something together, for example an appointment or a plan.
Wir haben abgesprochen, dass wir uns morgen um 10 Uhr treffen.
We agreed that we would meet tomorrow at 10 o’clock.
to deny someone something
To dispute or doubt that someone possesses a certain ability, quality, or right.
Man kann ihr die Kompetenz für diesen Job auf keinen Fall absprechen.
You definitely cannot deny her the competence for this job.
'Absprechen' (to coordinate/deny) is a separable verb. The prefix 'ab-' is separated from the verb in a main clause and placed at the end of the sentence.
Wir sprechen die Details morgen Vormittag ab.
We’ll coordinate the details tomorrow morning.
In the meaning 'to consult with each other', the verb is reflexive. If you name the person you consult with, you use the preposition 'mit' (with) and the dative.
Ich muss mich zuerst mit meinem Team absprechen.
I have to coordinate with my team first.
In this negative meaning, the verb has a fixed structure: you deny 'jemandem' (someone, dative) 'etwas' (something, accusative). The person is in the dative, and the doubted quality is in the accusative.
Man kann ihm sein Talent wirklich nicht absprechen.
You really can’t deny him his talent.
In this meaning, abstract qualities or rights are often 'abgesprochen' (denied), for example: 'die Kompetenz' (competence), 'die Fähigkeit' (ability), 'das Recht' (right), or 'den Mut' (courage).
Niemand kann uns das Recht absprechen, unsere Meinung zu sagen.
No one can deny us the right to express our opinion.
to agree / reconcile
When talking about appointments and plans, vereinbaren and absprechen overlap. Vereinbaren highlights the agreement that has been made. Absprechen places more emphasis on clarifying details with one another or coordinating how to proceed; a binding agreement can also result.
Wir sprachen den Ablauf der gemeinsamen Präsentation miteinander ab.
We coordinated the schedule for the joint presentation with each other.
Wir vereinbarten den Termin für die gemeinsame Präsentation.
We agreed on the date for the joint presentation.
