beauftragen
to commission
To give a person or company an official assignment or task.
EXAMPLE
Wir haben einen Architekten damit beauftragt, das neue Haus zu planen.
We commissioned an architect to plan the new house.
beauftragen
to commission
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Meanings
Usage tips
Inseparable verb
'Beauftragen' (to commission) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'be-' remains firmly attached to the verb stem 'auftragen' in all tenses and sentence constructions.
EXAMPLE
Sie beauftragte einen Maler mit der Renovierung ihrer Wohnung.
She commissioned a painter to renovate her apartment.
Word family
The verb 'beauftragen' (to commission) is derived from the noun 'der Auftrag' (the assignment/order). To commission someone means to give that person an assignment.
EXAMPLE
Der Auftrag lautet, die Webseite bis Ende des Monats fertigzustellen.
The assignment is to finish the website by the end of the month.
Two sentence patterns
There are two typical sentence constructions: You can commission someone (accusative) 'mit etwas' (with something, dative), or commission someone (accusative) to 'etwas zu tun' (to do something, infinitive with zu).
EXAMPLE
Ich habe eine Firma mit der Reinigung beauftragt.
I commissioned a company to do the cleaning.
Typical objects
The accusative object is typically a person or company that provides a service, for example commissioning 'einen Anwalt' (a lawyer), 'einen Handwerker' (a tradesperson), or 'eine Agentur' (an agency).
EXAMPLE
Für die Reparatur müssen wir einen Spezialisten beauftragen.
We need to commission a specialist for the repair.
Compare with
beauftragen vs bestellen
to order
Both verbs can be used in connection with a service or task. „Bestellen“ primarily means requesting goods or a service, while „beauftragen“ means officially assigning a task to a person or company. So order a service when you want to receive it, and commission someone when they are supposed to carry it out.
beauftragen
Die Hausverwaltung beauftragte eine Firma, das Treppenhaus zu reinigen.
The property management company commissioned a company to clean the stairwell.
bestellen
Die Hausverwaltung bestellte eine Reinigung für das Treppenhaus.
The property management company ordered cleaning services for the stairwell.
In real life
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