to raise / educate
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to raise
To support and shape a child's development through education, guidance, and the teaching of values and behaviors.
Sie erziehen ihre Kinder zu ehrlichen und respektvollen Menschen.
They raise their children to be honest and respectful people.
to educate toward
To guide someone deliberately toward developing a particular quality, habit, or behavior.
Die Schule soll die Schüler zur Selbstständigkeit erziehen.
The school is supposed to educate the students toward independence.
to train
To teach an animal to behave in a certain way; to train an animal.
Es erfordert viel Geduld, einen jungen Hund gut zu erziehen.
It takes a lot of patience to train a young dog well.
The verb consists of the prefix 'er-' and the base verb 'ziehen' (to pull). The metaphorical meaning is to 'draw' someone toward a certain state or behavior, or to 'bring someone up'.
Es ist eine große Verantwortung, einen Menschen zu erziehen.
It is a great responsibility to raise a person.
'Erziehen' (to raise/educate) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'er-' is never separated from the verb stem, not even in main clauses or in the past participle ('erzogen').
Sie hat ihre Kinder allein erzogen.
She raised her children on her own.
To express the goal of the upbringing or education, the preposition 'zu' is used followed by a noun in the dative. The structure is: jemanden (accusative) zu etwas (dative) erziehen.
Die Eltern erziehen ihre Tochter zur Ehrlichkeit.
The parents raise their daughter to be honest.
The past participle 'erzogen' is very often used as an adjective to describe the result of someone's upbringing. Typical combinations are 'gut erzogen' (well-behaved / well brought up), 'schlecht erzogen' (badly behaved / poorly brought up), or 'streng erzogen' (strictly raised).
Das Kind ist für sein Alter sehr gut erzogen.
The child is very well-behaved for his age.
to form / educate
“Bilden” and “erziehen” can both describe the development of a young person. “Erziehen” focuses more on values, behavior, and social maturity, while “bilden” also emphasizes intellectual and cultural development. Use “erziehen” for rules and behavior, and “bilden” for knowledge and overall development.
Die Eltern erziehen die Jugendlichen zu einem respektvollen Verhalten.
The parents are raising the teenagers to behave respectfully.
Das Museum möchte die Jugendlichen durch Kunst und Geschichte bilden.
The museum wants to educate the teenagers through art and history.
