to avoid / to shy away
Loading your saved state.
to avoid
To avoid or steer clear of something out of fear, dislike, or because of the effort involved. Often used in the phrase 'Kosten/Mühen nicht scheuen' (to spare no expense/effort).
Er scheut keine Mühe, um seinen Freunden zu helfen.
He spares no effort to help his friends.
The verb 'scheuen' (to avoid / to shy away) is closely related to the adjective 'scheu' (shy or timid), which means 'schüchtern' (shy) or 'ängstlich' (fearful). This basic meaning of fear or reluctance appears in all uses of the verb.
Das Reh ist sehr scheu und läuft bei jedem Geräusch weg.
The deer is very shy and runs away at every noise.
The meaning changes depending on the sentence structure. Transitive ('etwas scheuen' — to avoid something) means 'to avoid'. Reflexive ('sich scheuen' — to shy away) means 'to hesitate'. Intransitive (only the subject shies) is used for the fright reaction of animals.
Der Politiker scheut die direkte Konfrontation.
The politician avoids direct confrontation.
The negative expression 'keine Mühen/Kosten/kein Risiko scheuen' (to spare no effort/expense/risk) is especially common. It means that someone is willing to do or invest everything necessary.
Die Firma scheute keine Kosten, um die besten Experten zu engagieren.
The company spared no expense to hire the best experts.
The reflexive form 'sich scheuen' (to shy away) is almost always combined with an infinitive construction with 'zu' (to). It describes which action one hesitates to carry out.
Viele Menschen scheuen sich, vor einer großen Gruppe zu sprechen.
Many people shy away from speaking in front of a large group.
When an animal is startled, the trigger is indicated with the preposition 'vor' (at/by) and the dative.
Die Katze scheute vor dem lauten Knall.
The cat shied at the loud bang.
to avoid
'vermeiden' and 'scheuen' can both mean that you do not do something. 'vermeiden' is more general and more neutral: you consciously do not do something so that no problem arises. 'scheuen' explains the inner reason more strongly: you are afraid, unsure, dislike something, or do not want to make the effort. With people, you often use 'sich scheuen, etwas zu tun' (to shy away from doing something). There are also fixed expressions like 'keine Mühen scheuen' (to spare no effort). Learners may confuse the words because both have to do with avoiding something. As a guide: 'vermeiden' fits the strategy; 'scheuen' fits fear, hesitation, or effort.
Heute scheut sich der Mitarbeiter, den Fehler direkt anzusprechen.
Today the employee is reluctant to address the mistake directly.
Sie vermeidet beim Arzt lange Wartezeiten und kommt deshalb früh.
She avoids long waits at the doctor's office and therefore arrives early.