hüten
to herd
To supervise and protect a group of animals, such as sheep or cattle, while they are grazing in a pasture.
EXAMPLE
Der Hirte hütet seine Schafherde auf den Bergwiesen.
The shepherd herds his flock of sheep on the mountain meadows.
hüten
to herd / to guard
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Meanings
das Bett hüten
to stay in bed
To have to stay in bed because of an illness.
EXAMPLE
Mit einer starken Erkältung solltest du am besten das Bett hüten.
With a bad cold, you should ideally stay in bed.
sich hüten vor
to beware of
To be careful of someone or something; to avoid a person, thing, or action because it could be dangerous or harmful.
EXAMPLE
Hüte dich davor, ihm blind zu vertrauen!
Beware of trusting him blindly!
hüten
to guard
To carefully watch over and protect something, such as a secret or a treasure.
EXAMPLE
Sie hütete das Geheimnis ihrer Familie ihr ganzes Leben lang.
She guarded her family's secret her entire life.
Usage tips
Basic meaning
The core idea of 'hüten' is 'to supervise, protect, watch over.' This idea connects all meanings: you watch over animals, a secret, yourself, or stay in bed under supervision to recover.
EXAMPLE
Ein guter Anführer hütet sein Volk.
A good leader protects his people.
Sentence structure: reflexive + dative
In the meaning 'to be careful,' the verb is reflexive and is always used with the preposition 'vor' and the dative. The structure is: subject + hütet sich + vor + someone/something (dative).
EXAMPLE
Hüte dich vor falschen Freunden!
Beware of false friends!
Fixed expression
The expression 'das Bett hüten' is a fixed idiom. It means that you have to stay in bed because of an illness and is not understood literally.
EXAMPLE
Der Arzt hat gesagt, ich soll eine Woche lang das Bett hüten.
The doctor said I should stay in bed for a week.
Typical collocations
In its original meaning, 'hüten' is usually combined with herd animals. Typical examples are 'Schafe hüten' (to herd sheep), 'Ziegen hüten' (to herd goats), or 'Rinder hüten' (to herd cattle).
EXAMPLE
Schon als Kind lernte er, die Ziegen zu hüten.
Even as a child, he learned to herd the goats.
Abstract objects
In addition to concrete things, you can also 'hüten' abstract things. Common combinations are 'ein Geheimnis hüten' (to keep/guard a secret) or 'einen Schatz hüten' (to guard a treasure).
EXAMPLE
Er hütete das Familienrezept wie einen Schatz.
He guarded the family recipe like a treasure.
Compare with
hüten vs schützen
to protect
Schützen and hüten can both express keeping animals safe from danger. Schützen refers to warding off a danger, while hüten additionally requires ongoing supervision and care in a pasture. When the focus is only on a fence or another protective measure, schützen fits; when the animals are being looked after, hüten fits.
hüten
Der Hirte hütet die Schafe den ganzen Nachmittag auf der Weide.
The shepherd herds the sheep in the pasture all afternoon.
schützen
Der Zaun schützt die Schafe vor den Wölfen.
The fence protects the sheep from the wolves.
In real life
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