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.
'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 think / mean
'meinen' and 'sich etwas einbilden' can both have to do with what someone believes or thinks. 'meinen' is neutral: you use it to state your opinion or assumption. 'Sich etwas einbilden', on the other hand, means that someone believes or perceives something that is probably not true or not real. That is why 'einbilden' can quickly sound negative or corrective. Learners may confuse the words because both express a thought. But 'Ich meine, dass ...' is a normal opinion, while 'Du bildest dir das ein' means: that is probably not true.
Nach dem lauten Geräusch bilde ich mir ein, dass jemand im Flur steht.
After the loud noise, I imagine that someone is standing in the hallway.
Sie meint, dass die Prüfung nicht sehr schwer wird.
She thinks that the exam will not be very difficult.