quälen
to torment
To intentionally cause physical or emotional pain to a person or an animal.
EXAMPLE
Es ist verboten, Tiere zu quälen.
It is forbidden to torment animals.
quälen
to torment / to struggle
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Meanings
sich quälen
to struggle
To struggle greatly with something or make great efforts to do something unpleasant.
EXAMPLE
Er musste sich jeden Morgen zur Arbeit quälen.
He had to struggle to get to work every morning.
quälen
to torment
To place a heavy inner burden on someone or cause them worry. Often refers to thoughts, feelings, or questions.
EXAMPLE
Die Frage, ob er die richtige Entscheidung getroffen hatte, quälte ihn sehr.
The question of whether he had made the right decision tormented him deeply.
Usage tips
Word family
The verb 'quälen' (to torment) is closely related to the noun 'die Qual' (agony or great suffering). This connection helps you understand the intense and negative meaning of the verb.
EXAMPLE
Nach der langen Wanderung waren seine Füße eine einzige Qual.
After the long hike, his feet were pure agony.
Reflexive use
The reflexive form 'sich quälen' means that you force yourself to do something or struggle greatly with something. It is often followed by a construction with 'zu' + infinitive or 'mit' + dative.
EXAMPLE
Ich musste mich jeden Tag zum Lernen quälen.
I had to force myself to study every day.
Sentence structure with worries
When thoughts or worries burden someone, the abstract feeling is the subject of the sentence and the person is the accusative object. So the structure is: something torments someone.
EXAMPLE
Die Ungewissheit über seine Zukunft quälte ihn Tag und Nacht.
The uncertainty about his future tormented him day and night.
Typical collocations
In reflexive use, 'sich quälen' is often connected with everyday, unpleasant activities. Typical phrases are 'sich aus dem Bett quälen' (to drag oneself out of bed), 'sich zur Arbeit quälen' (to force oneself to go to work), or 'sich durch ein langweiliges Buch quälen' (to struggle through a boring book).
EXAMPLE
Am Montagmorgen quälen sich viele Menschen aus dem Bett.
On Monday mornings, many people drag themselves out of bed.
Compare with
quälen vs verfolgen
to follow / pursue
Both words can refer to troubling thoughts, feelings, or memories. Verfolgen emphasizes that something keeps resurfacing and will not let someone go, while quälen highlights the inner suffering this causes. Use verfolgen for the recurring presence of something and quälen for the intense emotional distress.
quälen
Die Erinnerung an den Unfall quält ihn noch immer.
The memory of the accident still torments him.
verfolgen
Die Erinnerung an den Unfall verfolgt ihn noch immer.
The memory of the accident still haunts him.
In real life
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