to accuse
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to accuse someone of something
To accuse someone of having committed a negative or criminal act. The accusation is often serious, but not necessarily proven.
Er wurde des Diebstahls bezichtigt, obwohl es keine Beweise gab.
He was accused of theft, even though there was no evidence.
The verb 'bezichtigen' (to accuse) is inseparable. The prefix 'be-' remains firmly attached to the verb stem in all conjugated forms and sentence types.
Sie bezichtigte ihn der Lüge.
She accused him of lying.
This verb requires a fixed grammatical structure: you accuse 'jemanden' (someone; accusative) 'einer Sache' (of something; genitive). Using a preposition such as 'mit' (with) or 'von' (of/from) is incorrect here.
Man bezichtigte den Minister der Korruption.
The minister was accused of corruption.
'Bezichtigen' (to accuse) is a formal word that is often used in legal or official contexts. It expresses a serious accusation.
In dem Zeitungsartikel wurde der Politiker schwerer Verfehlungen bezichtigt.
In the newspaper article, the politician was accused of serious misconduct.
to suspect
Verdächtigen can express a mere suspicion that is still open. Bezichtigen, by contrast, means explicitly accusing someone of a negative or criminal act and usually sounds more elevated and more serious. For a cautious assumption, use verdächtigen; for a clear accusation, use bezichtigen.
Der Politiker bezichtigte seinen Gegner, den Unfall verursacht zu haben.
The politician accused his opponent of causing the accident.
Die Ermittler verdächtigen den Fahrer, den Unfall verursacht zu haben.
The investigators suspect the driver of causing the accident.
