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close to someone
To have a close personal or emotional relationship with a person. Refers to friends, family, or close confidants.
Er hat die traurige Nachricht zuerst den ihm nahestehenden Personen mitgeteilt.
He first shared the sad news with the people close to him.
The word is made up of 'nahe' (near/close) and 'stehend' (present participle of 'stehen', to stand). Literally, it describes someone or something that 'stands close' to a person or thing.
Ihm nahestehende Kollegen unterstützten ihn bei dem Projekt.
Colleagues close to him supported him with the project.
The adjective 'nahestehend' is always used with the dative. It is 'jemandem nahestehen' (to be close to someone, for people) or 'einer Sache nahestehen' (to be close to/affiliated with something, for organizations or ideas).
Sie steht ihrer Schwester sehr nahe.
She is very close to her sister.
The word 'nahestehend' belongs more to written language or a more formal style. It is often used in official statements, news, or reports.
Die Ermittlungen konzentrieren sich auf das dem Opfer nahestehende Umfeld.
The investigations are focusing on the circle close to the victim.
In a personal context, 'nahestehend' is often combined with nouns such as 'Personen' (people), 'Verwandte' (relatives), 'Angehörige' (family members/next of kin), or 'Freunde' (friends).
Im Trauerfall werden zuerst die nahestehenden Angehörigen informiert.
In the event of a death, the close family members are informed first.
You can tell whether personal or ideological closeness is meant from the word it refers to. If 'nahestehend' refers to a person, it is about an emotional relationship. If it refers to an organization or idea, it means a closeness in terms of views or content.
Er vertraut nur seinen engsten, ihm nahestehenden Freunden.
He trusts only his closest friends, the ones close to him.
next / nearest
'am nächsten' and 'nahestehend' can both express a close personal relationship. 'Mir steht jemand am nächsten' sounds personal and often compares several people: this person is especially important to me. 'Nahestehend' generally describes that someone has a close relationship with a person, for example family or close friends. Learners may confuse the words because both have to do with closeness. For emotional closeness to a particular person, 'nahestehend' is often more neutral; 'am nächsten' emphasizes more strongly: closer than others.
Vor der Reise informiert sie nur ihr nahestehende Personen über ihre Pläne.
Before the trip, she only tells people close to her about her plans.
Von allen Menschen steht mir meine Schwester am nächsten.
Of all people, my sister is closest to me.