01
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 lassen
to let / to have
'lassen' and 'beauftragen' can both mean that you do not do something yourself, but want another person to do it. 'lassen' is more general and very common in everyday language: you 'das Auto reparieren lassen' (have the car repaired) or 'die Haare schneiden lassen' (have your hair cut). 'beauftragen' sounds more official and more specific. You give a person or company an assignment, often for money or with a clearly defined task. Learners may confuse the words because in both cases someone else takes action. If it is only about someone doing something for you, 'lassen' often fits. If an official assignment is meant, 'beauftragen' fits better.
beauftragen
Die Firma beauftragt einen Handwerker mit der Reparatur.
The company commissions a tradesperson to do the repair.
lassen
Wir lassen die Heizung morgen reparieren.
We are having the heating repaired tomorrow.
In real life
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