to sense
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to sense
To feel or suspect something vaguely or indistinctly in advance, without knowing it for certain or having evidence for it.
Anhand ihres Gesichtsausdrucks konnte ich nur erahnen, wie enttäuscht sie war.
From her facial expression, I could only sense how disappointed she was.
'Erahnen' is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'er-' remains firmly attached to the stem 'ahnen' in all sentence forms. It often emphasizes that a state or realization is reached through a process.
Ich erahnte sofort, dass etwas nicht stimmte.
I sensed immediately that something was wrong.
'Erahnen' is often used with a subordinate clause introduced by 'dass' (that), 'wie' (how), or 'was' (what). Another very typical construction is 'etwas lässt sich nur erahnen' (something can only be guessed/sensed at), to emphasize uncertainty.
Man kann nur erahnen, wie schwer die Situation für sie war.
One can only sense how difficult the situation was for her.
You typically 'erahnt' (sense) abstract things that are not directly visible. These include, for example, 'die Wahrheit' (the truth), 'die Zusammenhänge' (the connections), 'die Konsequenzen' (the consequences), or a person's feelings.
Langsam erahnte er die ganze Wahrheit hinter der Geschichte.
Slowly, he sensed the whole truth behind the story.
to know
'wissen' and 'erahnen' both refer to recognizing or estimating something. 'wissen' is certain: you have information or clear knowledge. 'erahnen' is less certain: you sense or suspect something, often in advance, but you do not know it exactly. The words can be confused because both fit in situations where you are talking about something that is not directly visible. The difference is: 'wissen' requires certainty; 'erahnen' remains a guess or a feeling.
Anna erahnt schon vor dem Termin, dass es schlechte Nachrichten geben könnte.
Even before the appointment, Anna senses that there could be bad news.
Zum Planen muss ich wissen, wie viele Personen kommen.
For planning, I need to know how many people are coming.