to decide
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to decide on/against
To make a personal choice between several options. You choose one option and reject the others.
Ich kann mich nicht zwischen dem blauen und dem schwarzen Pullover entscheiden.
I can't decide between the blue and the black sweater.
to decide
To make a final decision or judgment about something. This is often done by a person in authority, such as a judge, or by an institution.
Das Gericht hat entschieden, dass der Angeklagte unschuldig ist.
The court decided that the defendant is innocent.
to decide
To be the decisive factor for the outcome or result of something.
Die letzte Frage entschied über den Sieg in der Quizshow.
The last question decided the victory in the quiz show.
'Entscheiden' (to decide) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'ent-' remains firmly attached to the stem 'scheiden' in all sentence forms and tenses.
Sie entschied sich schnell für das Jobangebot.
She quickly decided on the job offer.
The grammar shows the meaning: 'sich entscheiden' (to decide, reflexive) means to make a personal choice. 'Etwas entscheiden' (to decide something, transitive) means to make a judgment. 'Über etwas entscheiden' (to decide something / determine something, with a preposition) describes the decisive factor.
Er hat sich für ein Studium in Berlin entschieden.
He decided on studying in Berlin.
When you make a personal choice, you always use 'sich entscheiden' (to decide) reflexively and with the prepositions 'für' (for) or 'gegen' (against), followed by the accusative.
Wir haben uns gegen den Kauf des Hauses entschieden.
We decided against buying the house.
In the meaning 'ein Urteil fällen' (to make a judgment), 'entscheiden' (to decide) is often used with a subordinate clause that begins with 'dass' (that), 'ob' (whether), or a question word.
Die Firma muss entscheiden, ob die Produktion erhöht wird.
The company has to decide whether production will be increased.
When something is the decisive factor for a result, the preposition 'über' (over/about) is used with the accusative. The subject of the sentence is then often a thing, not a person.
Ein einziges Tor entschied über Sieg und Niederlage.
A single goal decided victory and defeat.
to vote / choose / dial
Both verbs describe making a personal choice between several options. With „wählen“, the person or thing chosen appears directly as the object, while „sich entscheiden“ is normally used with „sich für“ or „sich gegen“ an option. Both forms are idiomatic in situations like these.
Nach dem Gespräch entschied ich mich für den früheren Zug.
After the conversation, I decided on the earlier train.
Nach dem Gespräch wählte ich den früheren Zug.
After the conversation, I chose the earlier train.
