to sacrifice
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to sacrifice
To voluntarily give up or devote something valuable, such as time, money, possessions, or one's own life, for a person, a cause, or a higher goal.
Sie opferte ihre gesamte Freizeit, um für die Aufnahmeprüfung zu lernen.
She sacrificed all her free time to study for the entrance exam.
to volunteer oneself
To volunteer for an unpleasant or difficult task that no one else wants to take on. Often used with a slightly ironic undertone.
Na gut, ich opfere mich und übernehme heute den Abwasch.
All right, I'll volunteer myself and do the dishes today.
to sacrifice
In a religious or ritual context, to offer a gift, such as an animal or fruit, to a deity in order to honor them or ask for something.
In der Antike opferten die Menschen den Göttern Tiere auf einem Altar.
In ancient times, people sacrificed animals to the gods on an altar.
to sacrifice
In a game, especially chess, to deliberately give up a game piece in order to gain a strategic advantage.
Der Schachgroßmeister opferte einen Bauern, um eine Angriffslinie zu öffnen.
The chess grandmaster sacrificed a pawn to open an attacking line.
The verb 'opfern' (to sacrifice) is closely related to the noun 'das Opfer' (the sacrifice/victim). 'Das Opfer' can mean both the offering that is sacrificed and the person who suffers something or gives themselves up.
Die Rettungskräfte brachten große persönliche Opfer, um den Menschen zu helfen.
The rescue workers made great personal sacrifices to help the people.
There are two typical sentence patterns: you can say 'etwas (Akkusativ) für jemanden/etwas (Akkusativ) opfern' (to sacrifice something for someone/something) or 'jemandem (Dativ) etwas (Akkusativ) opfern' (to sacrifice something to/for someone).
Er opferte seinen Job für seine Familie.
He sacrificed his job for his family.
Intangible, valuable things are often sacrificed. Typical combinations are 'Zeit opfern' (to sacrifice time), 'Geld opfern' (to sacrifice money), 'Energie opfern' (to sacrifice energy), or even 'sein Leben opfern' (to sacrifice one's life).
Die Eltern haben viel Geld für die Ausbildung ihrer Kinder geopfert.
The parents sacrificed a lot of money for their children's education.
The reflexive form 'sich opfern' (to volunteer oneself/to sacrifice oneself) is often used colloquially and ironically. It means that you voluntarily take on an unpopular task that no one else wants to do.
Wer opfert sich und holt die Getränke aus dem Keller?
Who will volunteer and get the drinks from the basement?
In the context of games such as chess, 'opfern' (to sacrifice) means to strategically give up a piece in order to gain an advantage. Watch for words like 'Schach' (chess), 'Bauer' (pawn), 'Figur' (piece), or 'Spiel' (game).
Um die Dame anzugreifen, musste er seinen Läufer opfern.
To attack the queen, he had to sacrifice his bishop.
to give up / to do without
Both words can express not keeping something valuable for yourself. „Verzichten“ emphasizes not using or claiming something, while „opfern“ highlights the price paid for a person, a cause, or a goal. When the point is consciously giving up something valuable for a purpose, „opfern“ is the stronger choice.
Für die wichtige Prüfung opfert er seinen freien Abend.
He is sacrificing his free evening for the important exam.
Für die Prüfung verzichtet er auf seinen freien Abend.
He is giving up his free evening to study for the exam.
