to complain / to weigh down
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to complain
To express one's annoyance or dissatisfaction about something or someone, often to a responsible person or office.
Die Anwohner beschwerten sich bei der Stadt über den lauten Baulärm in der Nacht.
The residents complained to the city about the loud construction noise at night.
Both meanings derive from the adjective “schwer” (heavy). “Etwas beschweren” (to weigh something down) literally means to make it “heavy.” “Sich beschweren” (to complain) is figurative: a problem is a burden that weighs “heavily,” and you express your annoyance about it.
Die schweren Kisten beschweren den kleinen Wagen zu sehr.
The heavy boxes weigh down the small cart too much.
The meaning depends on whether the verb is reflexive or not. “Sich beschweren” always means “to complain” or “to make a complaint.” Without “sich,” “beschweren” always means “to load something with a weight.”
Der Gast will sich über das kalte Essen beschweren.
The guest wants to complain about the cold food.
When complaining, two important prepositions are used: You complain “über” something (accusative) and “bei” someone (dative).
Er hat sich bei seinem Chef über die vielen Überstunden beschwert.
He complained to his boss about the many hours of overtime.
When you weigh something down, the weight is often introduced with the preposition “mit” (with). The structure is: accusative object + “mit” + dative object.
Sie beschwerte die Papiere auf dem Schreibtisch mit einem Buch.
She weighed down the papers on the desk with a book.
to complain / sue / lament
'klagen' and 'sich beschweren' can both mean that someone talks about something negative. 'sich beschweren' is used especially when you express your dissatisfaction to a person or office, for example to customer service or to your boss. 'klagen' often sounds stronger, more emotional, or somewhat more formal. It can mean that someone expresses their suffering about a situation. Learners may confuse the words because both have to do with annoyance or problems. As a simple guide: if you want someone to solve a problem, 'sich beschweren' often fits. If you are talking more about suffering or a bad situation, 'klagen' often fits.
Der Kunde beschwert sich an der Kasse über den falschen Preis.
The customer complains at the checkout about the wrong price.
Viele Eltern klagen über die hohen Kosten für die Klassenfahrt.
Many parents complain about the high cost of the class trip.