to nibble
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nibble
To bite off small pieces of something hard with the teeth, often with an audible sound. Typical of rodents or eating snacks such as nuts or pretzel sticks.
Das Kaninchen knabbert genüsslich an einer Karotte.
The rabbit is happily nibbling on a carrot.
to struggle with
Colloquial for: to have difficulties with something or to have to deal for a long time with a problem, defeat, or disappointment.
An dieser überraschenden Kündigung wird er noch eine Weile zu knabbern haben.
He will be struggling with this unexpected dismissal for quite a while.
In both meanings, 'knabbern' (to nibble) is used with the preposition 'an' and the dative. The object being nibbled on is always in the dative.
Das Eichhörnchen knabbert an einem Tannenzapfen.
The squirrel is nibbling on a pine cone.
The figurative meaning is used almost exclusively in the fixed expression 'an etwas zu knabbern haben' (to struggle with something). The conjugated verb here is 'haben' (to have).
Er hat an der Trennung immer noch schwer zu knabbern.
He is still struggling badly with the breakup.
You can recognize the literal meaning from concrete objects, often foods (nuts, carrots) or fingernails. You can recognize the figurative meaning from abstract nouns (problem, defeat, criticism) and the fixed expression with 'haben' (to have).
Mein Sohn knabbert oft gedankenverloren an seinem Stift.
My son often nibbles absentmindedly on his pen.
'Knabbern' (to nibble) is an onomatopoeic word. It imitates the sound made when biting off small, hard pieces. This can help you remember the meaning.
Ich höre die Maus in der Wand knabbern.
I hear the mouse nibbling in the wall.
to chew
Kauen means breaking food down in the mouth. Knabbern, by contrast, emphasizes repeatedly biting off small pieces of something, usually something hard. After biting off the pieces, you can then chew them.
Sie knabbert kleine Stücke von der harten Karotte ab.
She nibbles small pieces off the hard carrot.
Sie kaut das Stück Karotte gründlich, bevor sie es schluckt.
She chews the piece of carrot thoroughly before swallowing it.
