to reactivate
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to reactivate
To make something that was out of service or inactive usable or active again.
Ich muss mein altes Bankkonto reaktivieren lassen, da ich es wieder benötige.
I need to have my old bank account reactivated because I need it again.
The word is made up of the prefix 're-' (again), the stem 'aktiv' (active), and the verb ending '-ieren'. The meaning 'to make active again' can therefore be derived directly from its parts.
Nach dem Update müssen Sie die Software reaktivieren.
After the update, you need to reactivate the software.
Verbs ending in '-ieren' are always inseparable. The prefix 're-' remains firmly attached to the verb in all sentence forms.
Sie hat ihren alten Blog reaktiviert.
She reactivated her old blog.
'reaktivieren' (to reactivate) is often used for technical or administrative things. Typical objects are: an account, a SIM card, a subscription, or a function.
Meine alte Handynummer konnte ich zum Glück reaktivieren.
Luckily, I was able to reactivate my old mobile number.
In this context, 'reaktivieren' (to reactivate) is a technical term from chemistry or physics. This meaning is not used in everyday language.
Im Labor lernten wir, wie man einen Katalysator reaktiviert.
In the lab, we learned how to reactivate a catalyst.
to activate
'aktivieren' and 'reaktivieren' both mean to make something active or usable. The important difference lies in the idea of 'again'. Use 'aktivieren' when something is switched on or made ready to use, without it being important whether it was active before. Use 'reaktivieren' when something was previously inactive, out of service, or no longer effective and is now becoming active again. Learners may confuse the words because the result is similar. If you are simply switching something on, 'aktivieren' fits. If you are bringing something back into an active state, 'reaktivieren' fits.
Nach zwei Jahren Pause hat Lisa ihr altes Benutzerkonto reaktiviert.
After a two-year break, Lisa reactivated her old user account.
Vor der ersten Nutzung musst du die neue SIM-Karte aktivieren.
Before using it for the first time, you have to activate the new SIM card.