begehren
to desire
To have a strong, intense longing for someone or something; to very much want to possess or achieve something or someone.
EXAMPLE
Er begehrte sie vom ersten Augenblick an.
He desired her from the very first moment.
begehren
to desire / request
begehren – begehrte – hat begehrt
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Meanings
begehren
to request
In a formal or legal context, to demand or apply for something.
EXAMPLE
Die Klägerin begehrte mit ihrer Klage einen hohen Schadensersatz.
In her lawsuit, the plaintiff requested a large amount of damages.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry begehren, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Present
| ich | begehre |
|---|---|
| du | begehrst |
| er/sie/es | begehrt |
| wir | begehren |
| ihr | begehrt |
| sie | begehren |
Simple past
| ich | begehrte |
|---|---|
| du | begehrtest |
| er/sie/es | begehrte |
| wir | begehrten |
| ihr | begehrtet |
| sie | begehrten |
Perfect
with haben
| ich | habe begehrt |
|---|---|
| du | hast begehrt |
| er/sie/es | hat begehrt |
| wir | haben begehrt |
| ihr | habt begehrt |
| sie | haben begehrt |
Commands
| du | begehre! begehr! |
|---|---|
| ihr | begehrt! |
| Sie | begehren Sie! |
Past perfect
| ich | hatte begehrt |
|---|---|
| du | hattest begehrt |
| er/sie/es | hatte begehrt |
| wir | hatten begehrt |
| ihr | hattet begehrt |
| sie | hatten begehrt |
Future
| ich | werde begehren |
|---|---|
| du | wirst begehren |
| er/sie/es | wird begehren |
| wir | werden begehren |
| ihr | werdet begehren |
| sie | werden begehren |
Subjunctive I
| ich | begehre |
|---|---|
| du | begehrest |
| er/sie/es | begehre |
| wir | begehren |
| ihr | begehret |
| sie | begehren |
Used for reported speech.
Subjunctive II
| ich | begehrte |
|---|---|
| du | begehrtest |
| er/sie/es | begehrte |
| wir | begehrten |
| ihr | begehrtet |
| sie | begehrten |
Used for wishes and “would”.
Other forms
| infinitive | begehren |
|---|---|
| with zu | zu begehren |
| present participle | begehrend |
| past participle | begehrt |
Usage tips
Inseparable verb
The prefix 'be-' is inseparable. It remains firmly attached to the verb stem in all sentence forms and is not placed at the end of the sentence.
EXAMPLE
Sie hat nichts anderes begehrt als ein Leben in Frieden.
She desired nothing other than a life in peace.
Use with accusative
'Begehren' (to desire/request) is a transitive verb and always needs a direct object in the accusative. One always desires or requests 'etwas' (something) or 'jemanden' (someone).
EXAMPLE
Was begehrst du von mir?
What do you want from me?
Elevated style
'Begehren' (to desire/request) is a word of elevated, formal style. For strong desire, it is often used poetically or literarily, while in the sense of 'fordern' (to demand) it occurs in administrative and legal language.
EXAMPLE
Der Romanheld begehrte nur noch Rache für den Verrat.
The hero of the novel desired nothing but revenge for the betrayal.
Compare with
begehren vs beantragen
to apply for
Both words can refer to a formal request for approval. Beantragen describes the official application as a procedure, whereas begehren requests the approval itself in formal language. Beantragen is suitable for a normal application to an authority; begehren is possible in formal demands.
begehren
Die Familie begehrt in ihrem Schreiben die Genehmigung für den Umbau.
In its letter, the family formally requests approval for the remodeling.
beantragen
Die Familie beantragt bei der Behörde eine Genehmigung für den Umbau.
The family is applying to the authorities for approval to remodel the building.
In real life
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