to be ashamed
Loading your saved state.
to be ashamed
To feel an unpleasant sense of embarrassment, guilt, or humiliation because one has done something wrong, indecent, or foolish, or because one is in an uncomfortable situation.
Er schämte sich für seine unhöfliche Bemerkung.
He was ashamed of his rude comment.
'Schämen' (to be ashamed) is a reflexive verb and is always used with a reflexive pronoun in the accusative (ich schäme mich, du schämst dich, er/sie/es schämt sich). The pronoun cannot be left out.
Ich schäme mich, weil ich den Termin vergessen habe.
I am ashamed because I forgot the appointment.
To state the reason for the shame, you usually use the preposition 'für' with the accusative. Alternatively, you can use a subordinate clause with 'dass' or an infinitive construction with 'zu'.
Er schämt sich für sein Verhalten auf der Party.
He is ashamed of his behavior at the party.
A common and very strong expression is the phrase 'sich in Grund und Boden schämen'. It means that someone is extremely ashamed.
Als sein Betrug aufflog, schämte er sich in Grund und Boden.
When his fraud was exposed, he was utterly ashamed.
to regret
'sich schämen' and 'bereuen' both have to do with an unpleasant feeling after an action or in an embarrassing situation. 'Sich schämen' emphasizes the feeling of embarrassment, guilt, or humiliation, often in front of other people. You can also be ashamed of another person. 'Bereuen' means more that you regret an earlier decision or action and wish you had acted differently. Learners confuse the words because both can fit after a mistake. The difference is: shame is something you feel in the moment or because of the effect on others; remorse looks back more strongly at your own decision.
Nach seiner lauten Antwort hat sich Tom vor der ganzen Klasse geschämt.
After his loud answer, Tom felt ashamed in front of the whole class.
Lisa bereut, dass sie den wichtigen Termin vergessen hat.
Lisa regrets forgetting the important appointment.