erteilen
to issue / grant
To give or grant something official or formal, such as an order, permission, advice, or information.
EXAMPLE
Der General erteilte den Befehl zum Angriff.
The general issued the order to attack.
erteilen
to issue / grant / teach
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Meanings
erteilen
to teach
To teach lessons in a particular subject.
EXAMPLE
Die Professorin erteilt jeden Dienstag ein Seminar zur deutschen Literatur.
The professor teaches a seminar on German literature every Tuesday.
Usage tips
Inseparable verb
'Erteilen' (to issue/grant/teach) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'er-' remains firmly attached to the verb stem 'teilen' in all tenses and sentence constructions.
EXAMPLE
Die Behörde erteilte ihm die Baugenehmigung.
The authority granted him the building permit.
Register and style
'Erteilen' (to issue/grant/teach) is a formal word used mainly in official, administrative, or educational contexts. In everyday language, you would usually use 'geben' (to give).
EXAMPLE
Der Vorstand erteilte dem Projektleiter neue Anweisungen.
The board issued new instructions to the project manager.
Sentence structure with dative
This verb is almost always used with a person in the dative (to whom something is issued/granted) and a thing in the accusative (what is issued/granted). The structure is: subject + erteilt + [dative] + [accusative].
EXAMPLE
Der Polizist erteilte dem Falschparker einen Strafzettel.
The police officer issued the illegal parker a ticket.
Typical collocations
'Erteilen' is combined with certain nouns that express something official. Common collocations are: 'einen Auftrag erteilen' (to give/issue an assignment), 'eine Genehmigung erteilen' (to grant permission/approval), 'einen Rat erteilen' (to give advice), 'eine Lektion erteilen' (to teach someone a lesson), or 'Auskunft erteilen' (to provide information).
EXAMPLE
Können Sie mir bitte Auskunft über die Abfahrtszeiten erteilen?
Could you please provide me with information about the departure times?
Compare with
erteilen vs geben
to give
Geben is the general form used when providing information. Erteilen usually describes the same action in a more formal or institutional way and often occurs in fixed phrases such as „Auskunft erteilen“ (to provide information). In everyday situations, geben is often appropriate; at an official institution, erteilen is more likely.
erteilen
Die zuständige Behörde erteilt mir Auskunft über das Verfahren.
The responsible authority provides me with information about the procedure.
geben
Die Mitarbeiterin an der Rezeption gibt mir Auskunft über die Öffnungszeiten.
The receptionist gives me information about the opening hours.
In real life
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