to beg
Loading your saved state.
to beg
Out of poverty or need, to ask other people on the street or in public places for money, food, or other alms.
In vielen Großstädten sieht man Menschen, die auf der Straße betteln.
In many big cities, you see people begging on the street.
The preposition 'um' changes the meaning. Without a preposition, or with 'um Geld' (for money), 'betteln' (to beg) usually means to ask for alms out of poverty. The fixed combination 'betteln um' means to plead urgently with someone for something.
Der Obdachlose bettelte in der Fußgängerzone um Geld.
The homeless man begged for money in the pedestrian zone.
The phrase 'um etwas betteln' (to beg for something) is much more emotional than 'um etwas bitten' (to ask for something). It expresses great urgency or desperation and implies that you are in an inferior position.
Er musste förmlich um eine zweite Chance betteln.
He practically had to beg for a second chance.
When pleading with someone, people often beg 'um Hilfe' (for help), 'um Aufmerksamkeit' (for attention), 'um Verzeihung' (for forgiveness), or 'um eine Antwort' (for an answer).
Nach dem Streit hat sie um Verzeihung gebettelt.
After the argument, she begged for forgiveness.
to ask / request
'bitten' and 'betteln' both mean that you want something from someone. 'bitten' is neutral or polite and fits in many different situations. 'betteln' is much stronger. It can mean that someone asks for money or food on the street out of need. It can also mean that someone pleads for something very urgently and insistently. Learners may confuse the words because both are often used with 'um'. But 'betteln' sounds much more emotional or shows a situation of need. For normal polite requests, 'bitten' is almost always more natural.
Vor dem Bahnhof bettelt ein Mann um etwas Geld.
In front of the train station, a man is begging for some money.
Am Morgen bitten wir den Trainer um einen neuen Termin.
In the morning, we ask the coach for a new appointment.