erschüttern
to shake
To move someone deeply emotionally, shock them, or throw them emotionally off balance.
EXAMPLE
Die Nachricht von dem Unglück hat uns alle tief erschüttert.
The news of the accident deeply shook all of us.
erschüttern
to shake
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Meanings
erschüttern
to shake
To set something physically into strong vibration or make it tremble.
EXAMPLE
Die Explosion erschütterte die Häuser in der ganzen Straße.
The explosion shook the houses on the entire street.
erschüttern
to shake
To severely weaken or call into question something abstract, such as trust, faith, or a conviction.
EXAMPLE
Der Skandal hat das Vertrauen der Bürger in die Politik erschüttert.
The scandal shook the citizens' trust in politics.
Usage tips
Inseparable verb
'Erschüttern' (to shake) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'er-' remains firmly attached to the stem 'schüttern' (to tremble, shake) in all tenses and sentence constructions.
EXAMPLE
Die schlechte Nachricht erschütterte sie sehr.
The bad news shook her deeply.
Context clue
The meaning of 'erschüttern' (to shake) depends on the object. A person is emotionally shaken, a building physically, and an abstract concept such as trust or faith is shaken in a figurative sense.
EXAMPLE
Die Bilder aus dem Kriegsgebiet haben mich erschüttert.
The images from the war zone shook me.
Typical collocations (emotional)
In the emotional meaning, the verb is often intensified by adverbs such as 'tief' (deeply), 'zutiefst' (most deeply), or 'bis ins Mark' (to the core) to express the strength of the feeling.
EXAMPLE
Ihr plötzlicher Tod hat uns alle zutiefst erschüttert.
Her sudden death shook us all deeply.
Typical collocations (abstract)
In the figurative sense, abstract nouns are often used as the object. Typical combinations are 'das Vertrauen erschüttern' (to shake trust), 'den Glauben erschüttern' (to shake faith), or 'die Grundfesten einer Sache erschüttern' (to shake the foundations of something).
EXAMPLE
Der Skandal droht, die Regierung in ihren Grundfesten zu erschüttern.
The scandal threatens to shake the government to its foundations.
Compare with
erschüttern vs schockieren
to shock
Schockieren and erschüttern can both express the profound emotional impact of bad news. Schockieren tends to emphasize the intense immediate reaction to something unexpected. Erschüttern more strongly suggests a deep, possibly longer-lasting distress that throws someone emotionally off balance.
erschüttern
Die Nachricht vom schweren Unfall erschütterte ihn noch lange danach.
The news of the serious accident continued to shake him for a long time afterward.
schockieren
Die Nachricht vom schweren Unfall schockierte ihn im ersten Moment.
The news of the serious accident shocked him at first.
In real life
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