bremsen
brake
To reduce the speed of a vehicle or a movement, or bring it to a stop.
EXAMPLE
Der Autofahrer musste vor dem Zebrastreifen stark bremsen.
The driver had to brake hard before the crosswalk.
bremsen
to brake / slow down
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Meanings
bremsen
slow down
To slow down, hinder, or stop a development, process, or person.
EXAMPLE
Hohe Zinsen bremsen das Wirtschaftswachstum.
High interest rates slow down economic growth.
sich bremsen
hold oneself back
To restrain or control oneself in order to refrain from an action or statement.
EXAMPLE
Er musste sich bremsen, um nicht sofort wütend zu antworten.
He had to hold himself back so he wouldn't immediately reply angrily.
Usage tips
Word family
The verb 'bremsen' (to brake) is closely related to the noun 'die Bremse' (the brake). When you brake, you use a vehicle's brake.
EXAMPLE
Die Bremsen an meinem Fahrrad sind neu, deshalb bremst es sehr gut.
The brakes on my bike are new, so it brakes very well.
Figurative meaning
In a figurative sense, you can also slow down abstract things. Typical objects here are developments or processes such as 'das Wachstum' (growth), 'der Fortschritt' (progress), or 'die Nachfrage' (demand).
EXAMPLE
Die Bürokratie bremst viele wichtige Bauprojekte.
Bureaucracy slows down many important construction projects.
Reflexive use
The reflexive form 'sich bremsen' means to restrain or control oneself. The reflexive pronoun is in the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Sie wollte eine wütende E-Mail schreiben, aber sie hat sich im letzten Moment gebremst.
She wanted to write an angry email, but she held herself back at the last moment.
Compare with
bremsen vs behindern
to hinder / obstruct
Behindern and bremsen can both make a development or work progress more slowly. Behindern is more general and refers to difficulties or disruptions that make progress more difficult. Bremsen emphasizes more strongly that the pace of an ongoing development or process is reduced.
bremsen
Die vielen Rückfragen bremsten die Arbeit des Forschungsteams deutlich.
The many follow-up questions noticeably slowed down the research team's work.
behindern
Die fehlenden Daten behinderten die Arbeit des Forschungsteams erheblich.
The missing data significantly hindered the research team's work.
In real life
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