to plead
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to plead
To ask someone for something urgently, emotionally, and insistently. It expresses great urgency or desperation.
Mit Tränen in den Augen flehte sie, man möge ihr Kind freilassen.
With tears in her eyes, she pleaded for her child to be released.
When pleading for something specific, you use the preposition 'um' followed by the accusative. This construction is very common.
Der Gefangene flehte um Gnade.
The prisoner pleaded for mercy.
'Flehen' (to plead) is a very strong and emotional verb. It is not used for everyday requests, but expresses great desperation or urgency.
Er flehte sie an, ihn nicht zu verlassen.
He pleaded with her not to leave him.
The request can also be expressed by a subordinate clause with 'dass' or an infinitive construction with 'zu'. This describes the exact action being pleaded for.
Sie flehte, dass er ihr noch eine Chance geben möge.
She pleaded that he might give her one more chance.
to pray
Beten and flehen can both express an earnest request to a person. Flehen immediately emphasizes strong emotion and desperation. Beten is colloquial in this usage and often sounds like a figurative, repeated request.
Verzweifelt fleht er seinen Freund an, ihm noch einmal Geld zu leihen.
Desperate, he pleads with his friend to lend him money one more time.
Seit Tagen betet er seinen Freund an, ihm noch einmal Geld zu leihen.
He has been begging his friend for days to lend him money one more time.
