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.
to subordinate something
To treat something as less important than something else or to integrate it into a hierarchical structure.
Er musste seine persönlichen Wünsche dem Wohl der Familie unterordnen.
He had to subordinate his personal wishes to the well-being of the family.
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 send
Both expressions can describe a response to an unpleasant, unavoidable situation. Sich in etwas schicken emphasizes coming to terms with one’s fate internally, while sich unterordnen places more emphasis on acknowledging someone else’s will, an authority, or a necessity.
Nach der Absage musste sie sich den Entscheidungen der Behörde unterordnen.
After the rejection, she had to submit to the authorities’ decisions.
Nach der Absage musste sie sich in die lange Wartezeit schicken.
After the rejection, she had to resign herself to the long wait.
