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 consider
„Überlegen“ and „grübeln“ both describe thinking intensely about a difficult question. „Überlegen“ typically focuses on a decision or solution, whereas „grübeln“ emphasizes a long, often anxious thought process that does not necessarily lead to success. Use „überlegen“ for purposeful thinking, and „grübeln“ when the thoughts involve persistent worry.
Seit Stunden grüble ich über den Streit mit meiner Freundin.
I've been brooding over the argument with my girlfriend for hours.
Ich überlege, welche Lösung für das Problem am besten ist.
I'm considering which solution is best for the problem.
