to decorate
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to decorate
To adorn or embellish something in order to make it look more beautiful or festive.
Für die Party haben wir das ganze Wohnzimmer mit Luftballons und Girlanden dekoriert.
For the party, we decorated the whole living room with balloons and garlands.
to decorate
To give someone a medal or award as a sign of recognition.
Der Feuerwehrmann wurde für seinen mutigen Einsatz mit einer Medaille dekoriert.
The firefighter was decorated with a medal for his brave service.
Verbs that end in '-ieren' often come from other languages. They are always weak and conjugated regularly (dekorierte, hat dekoriert) and form the past participle without 'ge-'.
Sie hat den ganzen Nachmittag das Haus dekoriert.
She decorated the house all afternoon.
You can recognize the meaning from the object: if you 'dekorieren' (decorate) a thing or a place, it means 'schmücken' (to decorate/adorn). If you 'dekorieren' (decorate) a person, it means 'auszeichnen' (to honor/decorate).
Wir dekorieren den Weihnachtsbaum mit Kugeln und Lichtern.
We decorate the Christmas tree with ornaments and lights.
When decorating, 'dekorieren' (to decorate) is often used with an accusative object (what is being decorated?) and a 'mit' preposition (with what?). Typical phrases are 'einen Raum dekorieren' (to decorate a room), 'einen Kuchen dekorieren' (to decorate a cake), or 'einen Tisch dekorieren' (to decorate a table).
Für die Hochzeit wurde der Saal festlich dekoriert.
The hall was festively decorated for the wedding.
The meaning 'jemanden auszeichnen' (to honor/decorate someone) is very formal and is mainly used in official, governmental, or military contexts.
Der Soldat wurde für seine Tapferkeit dekoriert.
The soldier was decorated for his bravery.
to award / to distinguish
Auszeichnen and dekorieren can both be used for official recognition involving an award. Dekorieren specifically refers to giving someone an order or a similar award, while auszeichnen also covers prizes, medals, and certificates. Use dekorieren for an order and auszeichnen for other honors.
Der Präsident dekorierte den Offizier bei einer feierlichen Zeremonie.
The president decorated the officer at a formal ceremony.
Die Jury zeichnete den Schüler für sein Projekt mit einer Urkunde aus.
The jury awarded the student a certificate for his project.
