to escape
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to escape
To free oneself by fleeing from imprisonment, a place of confinement, or a dangerous situation.
Dem Häftling gelang es, aus dem Hochsicherheitsgefängnis zu entfliehen.
The prisoner managed to escape from the high-security prison.
to escape
To evade an unpleasant situation, a feeling, or a responsibility by avoiding or ignoring it.
Viele Menschen lesen Bücher, um dem grauen Alltag zu entfliehen.
Many people read books to escape the gray routine of everyday life.
'Entfliehen' (to escape) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'ent-' often means 'away from' and here strengthens the verb 'fliehen' (to flee). So the prefix always stays connected to the verb.
Er versucht, seiner Vergangenheit zu entfliehen.
He is trying to escape his past.
This verb is always used with the dative. You escape 'jemandem' (someone) or 'etwas' (something).
Die Kinder entflohen dem lauten Lärm auf der Straße.
The children escaped the loud noise on the street.
Since 'entfliehen' (to escape) describes movement or a change of state, the perfect tense is formed with the auxiliary verb 'sein'.
Der Vogel ist aus dem Käfig entflohen.
The bird escaped from the cage.
You can recognize the figurative meaning by the fact that the thing being escaped from is abstract. Concrete places like 'Gefängnis' (prison) or 'Lager' (camp) point to the literal meaning.
Manchmal möchte ich einfach der Realität entfliehen.
Sometimes I just want to escape reality.
In the figurative sense, 'entfliehen' (to escape) is often combined with abstract nouns such as 'dem Alltag' (everyday life), 'der Verantwortung' (responsibility), 'dem Stress' (stress), or 'der Langeweile' (boredom).
Mit einem guten Buch kann man wunderbar dem Alltag entfliehen.
With a good book, you can wonderfully escape everyday life.
to flee
Fliehen and entfliehen can both mean escaping from danger or captivity. Fliehen generally describes an urgent escape, while entfliehen places more emphasis on getting away from a stressful situation and often sounds more elevated. Fliehen is usually more suitable in factual reports, while entfliehen can also be used in elevated language.
Der Gefangene konnte in der Nacht aus dem Lager entfliehen.
The prisoner managed to escape from the camp during the night.
Die Bewohner mussten vor dem Feuer fliehen.
The residents had to flee the fire.
