to empathize / reconstruct
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to empathize with
To understand and inwardly experience the feelings, thoughts, or situation of another person. It means putting yourself in someone's position and showing empathy.
Ich kann deine Enttäuschung gut nachempfinden.
I can really empathize with your disappointment.
to reconstruct
To imagine a past state, event, or process and try to understand it mentally or experimentally. It is about reconstructing an experience.
Historiker versuchen, das Leben der Menschen im Mittelalter nachzuempfinden.
Historians try to reconstruct what life was like for people in the Middle Ages.
'Nachempfinden' (to empathize with/reconstruct) is a separable verb. The prefix 'nach-' comes at the end in a main clause. In subordinate clauses and in the infinitive with 'zu', the verb stays together.
Ich empfinde seine Situation genau nach.
I can empathize with his situation exactly.
The verb is based on 'empfinden' (to feel, to sense). The prefix 'nach-' adds the idea of feeling an emotion or experience 'afterward' or 'once again', meaning to imagine it and empathize with it.
Er kann die Freude des Gewinners gut nachempfinden.
He can really empathize with the winner's joy.
The verb requires an accusative object. This object is usually a feeling (e.g., joy, grief, fear) or a situation. Alternatively, a subordinate clause with 'wie' (how) or 'warum' (why) can follow.
Ich kann deine Enttäuschung vollkommen nachempfinden.
I can completely empathize with your disappointment.
In this rarer meaning, you can recognize the context by the objects. It is not about personal feelings, but about historical or abstract things such as 'das Leben in einer Epoche' (life in an era), 'ein historisches Ereignis' (a historical event), or 'einen wissenschaftlichen Prozess' (a scientific process).
Im Museum kann man die Atmosphäre des 19. Jahrhunderts nachempfinden.
In the museum, you can reconstruct the atmosphere of the 19th century.
to understand
Nachvollziehen and nachempfinden can both show that you understand another person's situation. Nachvollziehen is broader and can refer mainly to understanding something intellectually; nachempfinden places more emphasis on inwardly sharing the experience and showing empathy. Use nachempfinden when you have had similar experiences yourself; otherwise, nachvollziehen is often the better choice.
Ich kann ihre Angst nachempfinden, weil ich etwas Ähnliches erlebt habe.
I can empathize with her fear because I have experienced something similar.
Ich kann ihre Angst nachvollziehen, auch wenn ich sie selbst nicht erlebt habe.
I can understand her fear, even though I have never experienced it myself.
