gebären
to give birth
To bring a child or young animal into the world.
EXAMPLE
Sie hat letzte Woche einen gesunden Jungen geboren.
She gave birth to a healthy boy last week.
gebären
to give birth
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Meanings
gebären
to give rise to
In elevated language, to bring forth, create, or cause something new, for example an idea, a work of art, or a problem.
EXAMPLE
Aus der Not der Zeit wurden viele kreative Lösungen geboren.
Many creative solutions were born out of the hardship of the time.
Usage tips
Word family
'Gebären' (to give birth) is the active verb corresponding to 'geboren werden' (to be born) and the noun 'die Geburt' (birth). 'Eine Frau gebiert ein Kind' (a woman gives birth to a child) describes the same situation as 'Ein Kind wird geboren' (a child is born).
EXAMPLE
Die Geburt des Kindes war ein großes Ereignis.
The birth of the child was a major event.
Perfect tense with 'haben'
Although it describes a kind of change of state, 'gebären' forms the perfect tense with the auxiliary verb 'haben' (to have). The past participle is 'geboren' (born).
EXAMPLE
Die Katze hat gestern fünf Junge geboren.
The cat gave birth to five kittens yesterday.
Register
The verb 'gebären' (to give birth) is mainly used in written language, in medical contexts, or in formal contexts. It sounds more elevated than other expressions for this process.
EXAMPLE
Im Krankenhaus werden täglich mehrere Kinder geboren.
Several children are born in the hospital every day.
Sentence structure in the passive
In the figurative meaning 'etwas hervorbringen' (to bring something forth), the passive form 'geboren werden' (to be born) is almost always used. The subject is then the new idea or the new work.
EXAMPLE
Die Idee für das Projekt wurde in einer langen Diskussion geboren.
The idea for the project was born in a long discussion.
Compare with
gebären vs werfen
to throw
Both words can refer to an animal giving birth to young. Werfen is used especially when referring to a litter, meaning several young animals, whereas gebären sounds more general and often more formal. Use werfen when the litter is emphasized and gebären for a general statement about giving birth.
gebären
Die Katze hat im Frühjahr fünf gesunde Junge geboren.
In the spring, the cat gave birth to five healthy kittens.
werfen
Die Katze hat im Frühjahr fünf gesunde Junge geworfen.
In the spring, the cat gave birth to five healthy kittens.
In real life
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