to admonish
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to admonish
To remind someone of their duties emphatically, but without direct punishment, or to urge them to change a certain behavior. An admonition is more serious than a request, but often less formal than an official warning.
Der Richter ermahnte den Zeugen, die Wahrheit zu sagen.
The judge admonished the witness to tell the truth.
'Ermahnen' (to admonish) begins with the prefix 'er-' and is therefore an inseparable verb. The prefix remains firmly attached to the verb in all sentence forms and tenses.
Er hat seinen Sohn ermahnt, ordentlicher zu sein.
He admonished his son to be tidier.
The typical sentence structure is: 'jemanden (Akkusativ) ermahnen, etwas zu tun' (to admonish someone [accusative] to do something). The verb and the person being admonished are often followed by an infinitive construction with 'zu'.
Die Mutter ermahnte ihre Kinder, nicht so laut zu spielen.
The mother admonished her children not to play so loudly.
This word belongs to a formal register. It is often found in written language or in official contexts (e.g., school, court). It is rarely used in everyday conversation.
Der Lehrer ermahnte die Klasse zur Ruhe.
The teacher admonished the class to be quiet.
to talk
'jemandem ins Gewissen reden' (to appeal to someone's conscience) and 'ermahnen' are close because, through words, you want to get someone to change their behavior. 'jemandem ins Gewissen reden' sounds more personal: you try to appeal to responsibility or morality. 'ermahnen' is more direct and means to seriously remind someone of a duty or rule. It can come from parents, teachers, or supervisors. 'reden' by itself is much more general; the closeness to 'ermahnen' mainly comes from the fixed expression 'jemandem ins Gewissen reden'.
Am Abend hat meine Kollegin die Kinder ermahnt, leiser zu sein.
In the evening, my colleague admonished the children to be quieter.
Die Ärztin redet dem Patienten ins Gewissen, weil er seine Tabletten nicht nimmt.
The doctor appeals to the patient's conscience because he is not taking his pills.