to deal with
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to deal with
To engage intensively with or examine a particular topic, question, or task.
In meiner Doktorarbeit befasse ich mich mit der deutschen Literatur des 19. Jahrhunderts.
In my doctoral thesis, I deal with German literature of the 19th century.
This verb is always reflexive ('sich befassen') and is used in a fixed way with the preposition 'mit' and the dative. The structure is always: sich mit etwas (dative) befassen.
Der Ausschuss wird sich mit diesem Problem befassen.
The committee will deal with this problem.
'Befassen' (to deal with) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'be-' is never separated from the verb stem, not even in a main clause.
Er befasst sich schon seit Jahren mit der Geschichte seiner Stadt.
He has been dealing with the history of his city for years.
'Sich befassen mit' (to deal with) is a rather formal expression. It is often found in academic, professional, or written contexts.
Die Studie befasst sich mit den Auswirkungen des Klimawandels.
The study deals with the effects of climate change.
You typically deal with abstract things such as 'einem Thema' (a topic), 'einer Frage' (a question), 'einem Problem' (a problem), or 'einem Vorschlag' (a proposal).
Im nächsten Kapitel befasse ich mich mit der Analyse der Daten.
In the next chapter, I deal with the analysis of the data.
to treat / to deal with
'behandeln' and 'sich befassen mit' can both mean that you engage with a topic. 'behandeln' is often used for texts, lessons, lectures, or conversations: a book or a teacher deals with a topic. 'sich befassen mit' places more emphasis on your own active engagement with a question, task, or problem. It is reflexive and needs 'mit'. Learners may confuse the words because both fit with topics. Remember: 'Man behandelt ein Thema' (you deal with a topic), but 'man befasst sich mit einem Thema' (you deal with / engage with a topic).
Nach dem Unterricht befassen wir uns mit den wichtigsten Fragen zur Gesundheit.
After class, we deal with the most important questions about health.
Die Chefin hat das Problem in der Besprechung nur kurz behandelt.
The boss only briefly dealt with the problem in the meeting.