to imagine / be conceited
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to imagine
To imagine something that does not correspond to reality; to believe you see, hear, or feel something that is not there.
Ich glaube, ich habe ein Geräusch gehört, aber vielleicht bilde ich es mir nur ein.
I think I heard a noise, but maybe I'm just imagining it.
to be conceited
To be arrogant or conceited; to be excessively proud of a quality or achievement.
Er bildet sich wirklich viel auf sein neues Auto ein.
He really is very conceited about his new car.
'Einbilden' (to imagine / be conceited) is a separable verb. The prefix 'ein-' goes to the end in main clauses. In subordinate clauses and in the infinitive with 'zu', the verb stays together.
Du bildest dir das nur ein!
You're just imagining that!
This verb is always reflexive. The person who imagines something is in the dative (mir, dir, sich), while the imagined thing is in the accusative.
Ich bilde mir ein, eine Stimme gehört zu haben.
I imagine I heard a voice.
The preposition 'auf' (+ accusative) signals the meaning 'to be arrogant'. Without this preposition, 'sich einbilden' almost always means 'to imagine something that is not real'.
Sie bildet sich viel auf ihre guten Noten ein.
She is very conceited about her good grades.
In the meaning 'to be arrogant', the verb is always used with the preposition 'auf' and the accusative. The structure is: sich (dative) etwas auf etwas (accusative) einbilden.
Was bildest du dir eigentlich auf deinen Erfolg ein?
What exactly are you so conceited about regarding your success?
to imagine / introduce
Vorstellen and einbilden can both express forming an inner image of something that is not present. Vorstellen usually describes consciously imagining something, while einbilden suggests that someone mistakenly believes something is real. Vorstellen fits a possibility one is imagining; einbilden is more appropriate for a false perception.
Nach dem langen Spaziergang bildete er sich ein, im Wald eine Stimme zu hören.
After the long walk, he imagined he could hear a voice in the forest.
Ich kann mir gut vorstellen, wie das neue Zimmer aussehen wird.
I can easily imagine what the new room will look like.
