beschneiden
to prune
To cut back plants, trees, or shrubs in order to promote their growth, give them a shape, or remove dead parts.
EXAMPLE
Im Frühling müssen die Rosen stark beschnitten werden.
In spring, the roses have to be pruned heavily.
beschneiden
to prune / to restrict
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Meanings
beschneiden
to restrict
To limit, cut, or reduce something, for example rights, freedoms, or resources.
EXAMPLE
Durch die neuen Gesetze wurden die Rechte der Bürger empfindlich beschnitten.
The new laws severely restricted citizens' rights.
beschneiden
to circumcise
To surgically remove the foreskin of the male organ for medical or religious reasons (circumcision).
EXAMPLE
In vielen Kulturen ist es üblich, Jungen kurz nach der Geburt zu beschneiden.
In many cultures, it is common to circumcise boys shortly after birth.
beschneiden
to trim
To cut off the edges of paper, photos, films, or printed materials in order to obtain a clean format.
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Druck werden die Plakate auf das richtige Format beschnitten.
After printing, the posters are trimmed to the correct format.
Usage tips
Inseparable verb
'Beschneiden' (to prune / to restrict) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'be-' stays firmly attached to the stem verb 'schneiden' (to cut) in all tenses and sentence constructions.
EXAMPLE
Der Gärtner beschnitt die Bäume im Herbst.
The gardener pruned the trees in the fall.
Context clues
You can recognize the meaning of 'beschneiden' (to prune / to restrict) from the object. If it involves plants ('Bäume' (trees), 'Hecken' (hedges)), it is about gardening. With abstract nouns ('Rechte' (rights), 'Budget' (budget)), it means 'reduzieren' (to reduce).
EXAMPLE
Wir müssen die Hecke im Garten beschneiden.
We have to prune the hedge in the garden.
Typical collocations
In a gardening context, 'beschneiden' (to prune) is typically used with plants such as 'Bäume' (trees), 'Sträucher' (shrubs), 'Rosen' (roses), or 'Hecken' (hedges).
EXAMPLE
Wenn man Obstbäume regelmäßig beschneidet, tragen sie mehr Früchte.
If you prune fruit trees regularly, they bear more fruit.
Typical collocations
In the figurative meaning 'einschränken' (to restrict), the verb is often combined with abstract nouns such as 'Rechte' (rights), 'Freiheiten' (freedoms), 'Mittel' (resources), or 'Budget' (budget).
EXAMPLE
Man warf der Regierung vor, die bürgerlichen Freiheiten zu beschneiden.
The government was accused of restricting civil liberties.
Register
The figurative meaning, to reduce something, is used mainly in formal, official, or written contexts such as news reports or political debates.
EXAMPLE
In der Sitzung wurde beschlossen, die Ausgaben für das Projekt zu beschneiden.
At the meeting, it was decided to cut the spending for the project.
Compare with
beschneiden vs schneiden
to cut
Schneiden generally refers to removing or working on something with a sharp tool. Beschneiden is more specific for plants: it means deliberately removing branches or other parts of a plant, for example to shape it or influence its growth. For this planned gardening task, beschneiden is the better choice.
beschneiden
Im Garten beschneidet Paul den Strauch, damit er seine Form behält.
In the garden, Paul prunes the shrub so that it keeps its shape.
schneiden
Im Garten schneidet Paul einen beschädigten Zweig für die Vase ab.
In the garden, Paul cuts off a damaged branch to put in a vase.
In real life
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