to vomit / to force open
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to vomit
To expel the contents of the stomach through the mouth; to throw up. This often happens involuntarily as a reaction to illness or nausea.
Nach dem verdorbenen Essen musste sie die ganze Nacht erbrechen.
After the spoiled food, she had to vomit all night.
'Erbrechen' (to vomit / to force open) is an inseparable verb because it begins with the prefix 'er-'. The prefix remains firmly attached to the verb in all tenses and sentence types.
Er hat das Medikament sofort wieder erbrochen.
He immediately vomited the medication back up.
The meaning 'sich übergeben' (to throw up) is by far the most common today. The meaning 'gewaltsam aufbrechen' (to force open) is very rare and is found almost only in old texts or in specialized language, for example with the fire department. The object reveals the meaning: you vomit food, but you force open a door.
Dem Kind war so schlecht, dass es erbrechen musste.
The child felt so sick that they had to vomit.
In the meaning 'sich übergeben' (to throw up), the verb is very often used reflexively: 'sich erbrechen' (to vomit). The non-reflexive form 'erbrechen' usually needs an accusative object, for example 'das Essen erbrechen' (to vomit the food).
Nach der Karussellfahrt musste ich mich leider erbrechen.
After the carousel ride, I unfortunately had to vomit.
'Erbrechen' (to vomit) is the neutral to formal expression often used by doctors or in medical contexts. It describes the process in a factual way.
Der Arzt fragte, ob der Patient nach dem Sturz erbrochen habe.
The doctor asked whether the patient had vomited after the fall.
to open
'öffnen' and 'erbrechen' can both mean that something closed is opened. 'öffnen' is the normal everyday word. In this meaning, 'erbrechen' means to force something open, for example a lock, a door, or a letter. This use is rare today and sounds formal or literary. Learners may confuse the words because 'erbrechen' can also have a meaning related to opening. In normal conversation, you should almost always say 'öffnen', or 'aufbrechen' if force is involved.
Die Polizei erbrach das Schloss, um den Raum zu betreten.
The police forced open the lock in order to enter the room.
Du öffnest das Gartentor, wenn die Gäste kommen.
You open the garden gate when the guests arrive.