to subordinate
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to subordinate oneself
To accept the authority or will of another person or of something and behave accordingly; to accept a lower position.
In einer funktionierenden Teamstruktur müssen sich die Mitglieder manchmal den Entscheidungen der Leitung unterordnen.
In a functioning team structure, the members sometimes have to subordinate themselves to the decisions of management.
The verb is made up of the prefix 'unter-' (under) and the verb 'ordnen' (to arrange / to order). It describes the action of placing oneself or something else in a lower or subordinate position in a hierarchy.
In der Armee müssen sich die Soldaten den Befehlen ihrer Vorgesetzten unterordnen.
In the army, soldiers have to subordinate themselves to the orders of their superiors.
'Unterordnen' is a separable verb. In a main clause, the prefix 'unter' goes to the end of the sentence. In subordinate clauses and in the infinitive with 'zu', the verb stays together.
Er ordnet seine privaten Interessen dem Projekt unter.
He subordinates his private interests to the project.
When a person submits to an authority, the verb is used reflexively and with the dative: sich (Akkusativ) jemandem/etwas (Dativ) unterordnen.
Der Spieler muss sich den Anweisungen des Trainers unterordnen.
The player has to subordinate himself to the coach's instructions.
When you subordinate one thing to another, the sentence has the structure: etwas (Akkusativ) einer Sache (Dativ) unterordnen. Here, the dative marks the higher-level goal or principle.
Die Firma ordnet kurzfristige Gewinne der langfristigen Nachhaltigkeit unter.
The company subordinates short-term profits to long-term sustainability.
to impute / shelter / subordinate
'unterstellen' and 'unterordnen' can be used very similarly in a hierarchy. Both can express that a person, group, or department gets a lower position under another authority. 'unterstellen' often sounds more formal and fits especially well in administration, the military, or company structures. 'unterordnen' is broader: it can also mean that something is made less important than something else. The words are confusable when organizations are involved. If the new leadership is the focus, 'unterstellen' is very appropriate; if the lower position or lesser importance is being emphasized, 'unterordnen' fits well.
Für den Erfolg des Teams ordnet sie ihre eigenen Wünsche dem gemeinsamen Ziel unter.
For the success of the team, she subordinates her own wishes to the shared goal.
Die Projektgruppe wird ab nächster Woche dem technischen Leiter unterstellt.
Starting next week, the project group will be placed under the technical director.