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.
to force open
To break something open by force, for example a lock, a door, or a letter. This meaning is rare today and is mostly used in formal or literary contexts.
Die Feuerwehr musste die Tür erbrechen, um in die brennende Wohnung zu gelangen.
The fire department had to force open the door to get into the burning apartment.
'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 hand over / to vomit
Both verbs describe expelling stomach contents. Sich übergeben is the usual form with a reflexive pronoun, while erbrechen is often used without a reflexive pronoun and sounds more matter-of-fact. Both are suitable in everyday language, but erbrechen usually sounds more neutral at the doctor's or in a report.
Nach der langen Autofahrt musste Lea erbrechen.
After the long car ride, Lea had to vomit.
Nach der langen Autofahrt musste sich Lea übergeben.
After the long car ride, Lea had to vomit.
