to give a talk / refer
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to give a talk on
To give a presentation, talk, or report on a specific topic, usually in a formal, academic, or professional setting.
Im Seminar wird jeder Student über ein selbstgewähltes Thema referieren.
In the seminar, each student will give a talk on a topic of their own choice.
Verbs that end in '-ieren' are always regular and inseparable. The past participle is formed without 'ge-', and the perfect tense is always formed with 'haben' (to have).
Gestern hat er über sein Projekt referiert.
Yesterday he gave a talk about his project.
The grammar reveals the meaning: 'referieren über' (+ accusative) means to give a talk. 'Referieren auf' (+ accusative) means to refer to. Without a preposition and with a direct accusative object, it means to be responsible for something.
Sie referiert über die Geschichte der Stadt.
She is giving a talk on the history of the city.
The most common meaning of 'referieren' (to give a talk) is used in academic or professional contexts. You typically give a talk in a seminar, at a conference, or in front of colleagues.
Nächste Woche muss ich vor der gesamten Abteilung referieren.
Next week I have to give a talk in front of the entire department.
The meaning 'sich beziehen auf' (to refer to) is very formal. It is mainly found in academic, legal, or very formal written texts.
In seiner Argumentation referierte der Wissenschaftler auf mehrere Studien.
In his argument, the scientist referred to several studies.
to report
'berichten' and 'referieren' both mean that someone passes on information about a topic. 'berichten' fits many situations: you can report to friends about a trip, or report on an event as a journalist. 'referieren' is used more when someone gives a prepared talk or presentation in front of others, for example at school, at university, or at work. The words can be confused because both can mean speaking factually about a topic. In practical terms: 'berichten' is more general, while 'referieren' sounds more formal and more like giving a talk.
Im Kurs referiert Sofia morgen über erneuerbare Energien.
Tomorrow in the course, Sofia is giving a talk on renewable energy.
Nach dem Termin berichtete Max seinem Team von den neuen Plänen.
After the appointment, Max reported to his team about the new plans.