jemanden (einer Sache/um etwas) berauben
to rob
To take someone's property by force or through threats.
EXAMPLE
Die maskierten Täter beraubten die Bank um eine große Summe Bargeld.
The masked perpetrators robbed the bank of a large amount of cash.
berauben
to rob / deprive
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Meanings
jemanden einer Sache berauben
to deprive
To take something abstract or immaterial away from someone, for example a hope, an illusion, or an opportunity.
EXAMPLE
Die schlechte Nachricht hat ihn seiner letzten Hoffnung beraubt.
The bad news deprived him of his last hope.
Usage tips
Inseparable verb
'Berauben' (to rob / deprive) is an inseparable verb with the prefix 'be-'. The prefix remains firmly attached to the base verb 'rauben' (to rob) in all tenses and sentence constructions.
EXAMPLE
Er wurde auf offener Straße beraubt.
He was robbed in the middle of the street.
Sentence structure with the genitive
The verb 'berauben' (to rob / deprive) is classically used with two objects: the person in the accusative and the thing that is taken away in the genitive. This pattern is: jemanden (accusative) einer Sache (genitive) berauben.
EXAMPLE
Der Skandal hat den Politiker seines guten Rufs beraubt.
The scandal deprived the politician of his good reputation.
Alternative with 'um'
Especially when concrete property such as money is involved, the genitive is often replaced by the preposition 'um' with the accusative. This variant is very common in colloquial speech.
EXAMPLE
Die Diebe beraubten ihn um seine gesamten Ersparnisse.
The thieves robbed him of all his savings.
Typical collocations
In the figurative meaning, the genitive is preferred. Typical phrases are jemanden 'seiner Hoffnung berauben' (to deprive someone of their hope), 'seiner Illusionen berauben' (to deprive someone of their illusions), or 'einer Chance berauben' (to deprive someone of an opportunity).
EXAMPLE
Die Verletzung hat den Sportler der Möglichkeit beraubt, an der Meisterschaft teilzunehmen.
The injury deprived the athlete of the opportunity to take part in the championship.
Compare with
berauben vs nehmen
to take
Both words can express that someone loses hope. Nehmen is neutral and takes a person in the dative; berauben sounds more elevated and emphatic and connects the person with the lost thing in the genitive.
berauben
Die Nachricht beraubte ihn jeder Hoffnung auf eine schnelle Rückkehr.
The news deprived him of all hope of returning soon.
nehmen
Die Nachricht nahm ihm jede Hoffnung auf eine schnelle Rückkehr.
The news took away all his hope of returning soon.
In real life
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