01
jemandem etwas beibringen
to teach someone something
To teach someone a skill or knowledge, often in a practical way.
example
Meine Mutter hat mir das Backen beigebracht.
My mother taught me how to bake.
beibringen
to teach / inflict / produce
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Separable verb
'Beibringen' (to teach/inflict/produce) is a separable verb. The prefix 'bei-' goes at the end in a main clause. In a subordinate clause, the verb stays together, and in the infinitive with 'zu', 'zu' stands in the middle: 'beizubringen'.
EXAMPLE
Mein Opa bringt mir das Schachspielen bei.
My grandpa teaches me how to play chess.
Dative construction
This verb almost always needs a person in the dative and a thing in the accusative. The structure is: someone (subject) teaches someone (dative) something (accusative).
EXAMPLE
Der Trainer bringt den Kindern (Dativ) neue Techniken (Akkusativ) bei.
The coach teaches the children (dative) new techniques (accusative).
Context clue
The accusative object reveals the meaning. If it is a skill (e.g. 'das Schwimmen' — swimming), it means 'to teach.' If it is something negative (e.g. 'eine Niederlage' — a defeat), it means 'to inflict.' If it is documents (e.g. 'Beweise' — evidence), it means 'to produce/present.'
EXAMPLE
Sie hat sich selbst das Gitarrespielen beigebracht.
She taught herself how to play guitar.
Typical collocations
In the meaning 'to inflict,' 'beibringen' is often used with negative things in sports or conflict, for example 'jemandem eine Niederlage beibringen' (to inflict a defeat on someone), 'Verletzungen beibringen' (to inflict injuries), or 'Wunden beibringen' (to inflict wounds).
EXAMPLE
Die Gastmannschaft hat uns eine klare Niederlage beigebracht.
The visiting team inflicted a clear defeat on us.
Register
The meaning 'to obtain and present' is formal and is mainly used in administrative or legal language. Typical objects are 'Beweise' (evidence), 'Unterlagen' (documents), or 'ein Attest' (a medical certificate).
EXAMPLE
Der Angeklagte konnte keine Beweise für seine Unschuld beibringen.
The defendant could not produce any evidence of his innocence.
Compare with
beibringen vs lernen
to learn
'lernen' and 'beibringen' are closely connected, but they show different directions. 'lernen' says what the person who is receiving new knowledge or a skill is doing. 'beibringen' says what the person who explains or shows something to someone else is doing. 'beibringen' often sounds practical and personal, for example with cooking, riding a bike, or a technique. The words can be confused because both occur in the same learning situation. The grammar is important: you 'lernt etwas' (learn something), but you 'bringt jemandem etwas bei' (teach someone something).
beibringen
Kannst du mir beibringen, wie man diese App richtig einstellt?
Can you teach me how to set up this app correctly?
lernen
Er lernt bei der Arbeit, wie man das neue Programm benutzt.
At work, he is learning how to use the new program.
In real life
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