to brood
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to brood
To think about something for a long time, intensely and often anxiously, without necessarily arriving at a solution.
Er saß stundenlang da und grübelte über seine Entscheidung nach.
He sat there for hours and brooded over his decision.
If you want to say what someone is thinking about, 'grübeln' (to brood) is almost always used with the preposition 'über' (about/over) and the accusative.
Sie grübelt über ihre Zukunft.
She is brooding over her future.
'Grübeln' (to brood) describes intense thinking that is often negative, worried, or aimless. Your thoughts go around in circles without finding a solution.
Hör auf zu grübeln und unternimm lieber etwas!
Stop brooding and do something instead!
'Grübeln' (to brood) is often combined with adverbs that emphasize duration, for example 'stundenlang grübeln' (to brood for hours) or 'tagelang grübeln' (to brood for days). Another typical phrase is 'vor sich hin grübeln' (to sit brooding/to brood to oneself).
Er saß am Schreibtisch und grübelte vor sich hin.
He sat at his desk, brooding to himself.
to ask
'sich fragen' and 'grübeln' both have to do with inner thinking. 'sich fragen' is neutral: you are unsure or want to know something. 'grübeln' is stronger and often sounds negative. You think about something for a long time, worry, and maybe do not find a solution. 'sich fragen' can be just a brief thought, but 'grübeln' usually lasts longer and burdens the person more.
Nach der Arbeit hat Maria lange über den Streit mit ihrer Freundin gegrübelt.
After work, Maria brooded for a long time over the argument with her friend.
Du fragst dich, ob die neue Wohnung wirklich groß genug ist.
You wonder whether the new apartment is really big enough.