bereuen
to regret
To feel regret and remorse about a past action or decision and wish one had acted differently.
EXAMPLE
Er bereute es zutiefst, seine Freunde angelogen zu haben.
He deeply regretted having lied to his friends.
bereuen
to regret
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word family
'Bereuen' (to regret) is derived directly from the noun 'die Reue' (remorse/regret). When you regret something, you feel remorse about it.
EXAMPLE
Er zeigte keine Reue für seine Tat.
He showed no remorse for his act.
Sentence structure and use
The verb 'bereuen' (to regret) can be used in three ways: with an accusative object, with a 'dass' clause, or with an infinitive construction with 'zu'.
EXAMPLE
Ich bereue meine Worte.
I regret my words.
Typical collocations
Common things people regret are 'eine Entscheidung' (a decision), 'eine Tat' (an act/deed), or 'Worte' (words). The feeling is often intensified with adverbs such as 'zutiefst' (deeply), 'bitter' (bitterly), or 'sehr' (very much).
EXAMPLE
Später hat er seine Entscheidung bitter bereut.
Later, he bitterly regretted his decision.
Compare with
bereuen vs bedauern
to regret / pity
Both words can express regret about one’s own earlier action or decision. „Bereuen“ usually emphasizes personal remorse and the wish to have acted differently, while „bedauern“ can also sound more neutral or formal. „Bedauern“ often fits a matter-of-fact apology, while „bereuen“ is used for strong personal remorse.
bereuen
Ich bereue inzwischen zutiefst, die Einladung abgelehnt zu haben.
By now, I deeply regret having declined the invitation.
bedauern
In meiner E-Mail an den Veranstalter bedauere ich, die Einladung abgelehnt zu haben.
In my email to the organizer, I regret having declined the invitation.
In real life
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