to turn back / turn inside out
Loading your saved state.
to turn back
To change direction and go or drive back in the opposite direction from the one you came from.
Wir haben die Hälfte des Weges geschafft, bevor wir wegen des schlechten Wetters umkehren mussten.
We had made it halfway before we had to turn back because of the bad weather.
to turn inside out
To turn the inside of a piece of clothing or object outward.
Bitte kehr deine Socken um, bevor du sie in die Wäsche tust.
Please turn your socks inside out before you put them in the laundry.
to turn back
To make a fundamental change in one's opinion, lifestyle, or behavior; to make an inner change of direction.
Es ist nie zu spät, umzukehren und ein besserer Mensch zu werden.
It's never too late to turn back and become a better person.
'Umkehren' (to turn back / turn inside out) is a separable verb. In a main clause, the prefix 'um' goes at the end. In a subordinate clause, the verb stays together, and in the infinitive with 'zu', 'zu' goes in the middle.
Wegen des Staus kehrten wir um.
Because of the traffic jam, we turned back.
The auxiliary verb depends on the meaning. When 'umkehren' describes movement or a figurative change of direction, the perfect tense is formed with 'sein'. When it means 'to turn something inside out', 'haben' is used.
Wir sind nach einer Stunde wieder umgekehrt.
We turned back again after an hour.
Whether 'umkehren' is transitive or intransitive indicates the meaning. If the verb has an accusative object, e.g. 'die Jacke' (the jacket), 'die Socken' (the socks), it means 'to turn inside out'. Without an object, it means 'to change direction' or 'to change oneself'.
Kannst du bitte deine Hose umkehren?
Can you please turn your pants inside out?
to turn / contact
Wenden and umkehren can both refer to movement in the opposite direction. Wenden emphasizes the specific change of direction or driving maneuver. Umkehren emphasizes that someone abandons the route they have been following and goes or drives back in the direction they came from.
Wegen der gesperrten Straße kehrt der Fahrer um und fährt zurück.
Because the road is closed, the driver turns back and drives back the way he came.
Der Fahrer wendet das Auto auf dem Parkplatz.
The driver turns the car around in the parking lot.
