01
beleidigen
to insult
To deliberately hurt someone or offend their honor through derogatory words or disrespectful behavior.
example
Er hat sie mit seinen unüberlegten Worten tief beleidigt.
He deeply insulted her with his thoughtless words.
beleidigen
to insult
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Word structure
The verb 'beleidigen' (to insult) contains the word 'Leid' (suffering). It literally means to cause someone suffering by hurting their feelings or their honor.
EXAMPLE
Seine Worte haben ihr großes Leid zugefügt.
His words caused her great suffering.
Accusative object
'Beleidigen' (to insult) is a transitive verb that always requires an accusative object. The person who is being insulted is therefore always in the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Warum hast du ihn beleidigt?
Why did you insult him?
Expressing a state
To express the state of being insulted or offended, you often use the adjective form 'beleidigt sein' (to be offended) or the reflexive expression 'sich beleidigt fühlen' (to feel insulted/offended).
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Streit war sie tagelang beleidigt.
After the argument, she was offended for days.
Figurative use
In the figurative meaning, the verb is often combined with abstract nouns such as 'Intelligenz' (intelligence), 'Geschmack' (taste), or 'Auge' (eye).
EXAMPLE
Die schlechte Bildqualität beleidigt das Auge.
The poor image quality insults the eye.
Compare with
beleidigen vs nahe
near / close
'jemandem zu nahe treten' and 'beleidigen' can both mean that you hurt a person. 'beleidigen' is more direct and often stronger: someone says or does something disrespectful and hurts the other person. 'jemandem zu nahe treten' can also happen through a question, comment, or action that is too personal. It does not always have to be intentional. When it is about clearly disrespectful words, 'beleidigen' fits better. When someone crosses a boundary or violates someone’s privacy, 'zu nahe treten' sounds more natural.
beleidigen
In der Pause beleidigte der Mitarbeiter seinen Kollegen vor dem ganzen Team.
During the break, the employee insulted his colleague in front of the whole team.
nahe
Mit seiner Frage nach dem Gehalt ist er ihr zu nahe getreten.
By asking about her salary, he crossed a personal boundary with her.
In real life
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