begleiten
to accompany
To go or travel with someone to a place; to keep someone company.
EXAMPLE
Kannst du mich bitte zum Bahnhof begleiten?
Can you please accompany me to the train station?
begleiten
to accompany
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Meanings
begleiten
to accompany
To support a piece of music by playing another instrument or by singing.
EXAMPLE
Der Pianist begleitete die Sängerin gefühlvoll am Klavier.
The pianist sensitively accompanied the singer on the piano.
begleiten
to support
To follow a process or development by observing and supporting it.
EXAMPLE
Ein Mentor wird dich während des gesamten Projekts begleiten.
A mentor will support you throughout the entire project.
begleiten
to accompany
To occur at the same time as something else as a circumstance or side effect.
EXAMPLE
Die wirtschaftliche Krise wurde von sozialen Unruhen begleitet.
The economic crisis was accompanied by social unrest.
Usage tips
Inseparable verb
'Begleiten' (to accompany) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'be-' stays firmly attached to the verb in all tenses and sentence types and is never separated.
EXAMPLE
Er begleitet seine Tochter jeden Morgen zur Schule.
He accompanies his daughter to school every morning.
Always with accusative
The verb 'begleiten' (to accompany) always requires a direct object in the accusative. You always accompany 'jemanden' (someone) or 'etwas' (something).
EXAMPLE
Der Hund begleitet seinen Besitzer überallhin.
The dog accompanies its owner everywhere.
In a musical context
When talking about music, the instrument is often named with the prepositions 'am' or 'mit'. Typical phrases are 'jemanden am Klavier begleiten' (to accompany someone on the piano) or 'ein Lied mit der Gitarre begleiten' (to accompany a song with the guitar).
EXAMPLE
Sie hat eine wunderschöne Stimme und er begleitet sie am Flügel.
She has a beautiful voice, and he accompanies her on the grand piano.
Passive with 'von'
To express that an event goes together with another circumstance, the passive is often used. The accompanying circumstance is then introduced with the preposition 'von'.
EXAMPLE
Die Reform wurde von heftigen Protesten begleitet.
The reform was accompanied by fierce protests.
Compare with
begleiten vs führen
to lead
Both words can work when someone goes somewhere with another person to reach a destination. „Führen“ additionally shows that the person determines the route or directly guides the other person. „Begleiten“, on the other hand, emphasizes going together and providing company, without requiring a guiding role.
begleiten
Der Mitarbeiter begleitet die Besucher durch das Gebäude zum Ausgang.
The employee accompanies the visitors through the building to the exit.
führen
Der Mitarbeiter führt die Besucher durch das Gebäude zum Ausgang.
The employee leads the visitors through the building to the exit.
In real life
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