to ask / to demand
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to ask / demand
To ask someone or demand that they do something specific. The request can range from a friendly request to an order.
Der Polizist forderte den Fahrer auf, seinen Führerschein zu zeigen.
The police officer asked the driver to show his driver's license.
'Auffordern' (to ask / to demand) is a separable verb. The prefix 'auf-' goes at the end of the sentence in a main clause. In the infinitive with 'zu', 'zu' comes between the prefix and the verb.
Der Lehrer fordert die Schüler zur Ruhe auf.
The teacher tells the students to be quiet.
The most common construction is: jemanden (accusative) auffordern, etwas zu tun (to ask someone to do something). The object is followed by a subordinate clause with 'zu' and the infinitive at the end.
Sie forderte ihn auf, den Müll rauszubringen.
She asked him to take out the trash.
Alternatively, 'auffordern' (to ask / to demand) can also be used with the preposition 'zu' + dative. This structure is often somewhat more formal. Typical examples are 'zum Tanz auffordern' (to ask someone to dance) or 'zur Stellungnahme auffordern' (to request a statement).
Er forderte sie zu einem Tanz auf.
He asked her to dance.
to be called / to mean
'heißen' and 'auffordern' can both mean that someone tells another person they should do something. In this meaning, however, 'heißen' sounds old-fashioned or elevated and rarely occurs in everyday speech. 'auffordern' is more neutral and much more common, especially when it is about a request, a clear instruction, or an official demand. 'auffordern' can be friendly or strict; the context shows how strong it is. For normal German, 'jemanden auffordern, etwas zu tun' (to ask/demand that someone do something) is usually more natural than 'jemanden heißen, etwas zu tun'.
Die Lehrerin hat die Klasse aufgefordert, die Handys auszuschalten.
The teacher asked the class to turn off their phones.
Der Arzt hieß den Patienten, im Wartezimmer Platz zu nehmen.
The doctor ordered the patient to take a seat in the waiting room.