to cheat / deceive
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to deceive
To intentionally deceive someone in order to gain an unlawful advantage, often in a financial sense.
Er wurde angeklagt, weil er seine Geschäftspartner betrogen hat.
He was charged because he had deceived his business partners.
to cheat on
To be unfaithful in a relationship or marriage and have a sexual or emotional relationship with another person.
Er hat seine Frau jahrelang betrogen.
He cheated on his wife for years.
to cheat
To use unauthorized means in a game, exam, or competition in order to win or achieve a better result.
Der Schüler wurde erwischt, als er bei der Prüfung betrügen wollte.
The student was caught when he was trying to cheat on the exam.
to cheat oneself out of
To deprive oneself of an opportunity or pleasure through one's own action or inaction.
Wenn du jetzt schon gehst, betrügst du dich um das Feuerwerk.
If you leave already, you'll cheat yourself out of the fireworks.
'Betrügen' (to cheat/deceive) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'be-' remains firmly attached to the verb in all tenses and sentence constructions.
Er hat zugegeben, dass er seine Kunden betrogen hat.
He admitted that he had deceived his customers.
In most meanings, 'betrügen' (to cheat/deceive) is a transitive verb that requires an accusative object. This object is the person or institution being deceived.
Sie hatte das Gefühl, dass er sie betrügt.
She had the feeling that he was cheating on her.
The context tells you what kind of cheating or deception is meant. With 'Geld' (money) or 'Vertrag' (contract), it is about finances. With 'Partner' (partner) or 'Ehe' (marriage), it is about infidelity. With 'Spiel' (game) or 'Prüfung' (exam), it is about cheating.
Er hat beim Kartenspiel betrogen, um zu gewinnen.
He cheated at the card game in order to win.
'Betrügen' (to cheat/deceive) is an irregular verb. The principal forms are: 'betrügen, betrog, hat betrogen' (to cheat/deceive, cheated/deceived, has cheated/deceived). The perfect tense is always formed with 'haben' (to have).
Der Verkäufer betrog die Touristen mit überhöhten Preisen.
The seller deceived the tourists with inflated prices.
The reflexive form has a fixed structure: 'sich (Akkusativ) um etwas (Akkusativ) betrügen' (to cheat oneself out of something). It means that you deprive yourself of an advantage or pleasure.
Wer nicht zum Fest kommt, betrügt sich um einen schönen Abend.
Anyone who doesn't come to the festival is cheating themselves out of a lovely evening.
to reveal / betray
Verraten and betrügen can both describe an unfair action toward another person. Verraten emphasizes disloyalty and the abuse of trust, while betrügen highlights intentional deception for an unlawful advantage. Use verraten when confidential information is passed on, and betrügen when someone is deceived for the deceiver's own gain.
Der Mitarbeiter betrog seinen Geschäftspartner, indem er ihm absichtlich falsche Zahlen zeigte.
The employee deceived his business partner by deliberately showing him false figures.
Der Mitarbeiter verriet seinen Geschäftspartner, indem er dessen vertraulichen Plan weitergab.
The employee betrayed his business partner by passing on the partner’s confidential plan.
