to say goodbye / to pass
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to say goodbye
To shake someone's hand, say something nice, or wave before leaving. This can refer to a person or a group.
Ich muss mich jetzt leider verabschieden, weil mein Zug gleich fährt.
Unfortunately, I have to say goodbye now because my train is leaving soon.
The verb 'verabschieden' (to say goodbye / to pass) is inseparable. The prefix 'ver-' stays firmly attached to the verb stem in all tenses and sentence constructions and is never placed at the end of the sentence.
Das Parlament verabschiedete das Gesetz.
Parliament passed the law.
This verb has different meanings depending on whether it is used reflexively ('sich verabschieden') or non-reflexively. The reflexive form always means 'to say goodbye', while the non-reflexive form refers to laws or to people in professional life.
Wir müssen uns jetzt verabschieden.
We have to say goodbye now.
When you say whom you are saying goodbye to, the preposition 'von' is used with the dative. The structure is: 'sich von jemandem verabschieden' (to say goodbye to someone).
Er hat sich am Telefon von seiner Freundin verabschiedet.
He said goodbye to his girlfriend on the phone.
You can almost always recognize this meaning from context. When 'Gesetz' (law), 'Haushalt' (budget), 'Resolution' (resolution), or 'Parlament' (parliament) is being discussed, 'verabschieden' here means 'to officially approve' or 'to pass'.
Der Stadtrat wird den neuen Haushalt nächste Woche verabschieden.
The city council will pass the new budget next week.
In a professional context, 'verabschieden' is often used for the formal end of a career. Typical signal words are 'in den Ruhestand' (into retirement), 'aus dem Dienst' (from service), or 'nach langer Tätigkeit' (after many years of work).
Die Lehrerin wurde nach 40 Jahren im Schuldienst feierlich verabschiedet.
The teacher was ceremonially seen off after 40 years of school service.
to leave / rely
'verlassen' and 'sich verabschieden' can both occur in a situation where someone is leaving. However, 'verlassen' describes the movement away from a place, a person, or a group. 'sich verabschieden' describes the social action before leaving: you say goodbye, wave, or shake someone's hand. You can leave a room without saying goodbye. And you can say goodbye before you actually leave the place. The risk of confusion arises because both often happen directly one after the other.
Vor der Reise verabschiedete sich Lisa von ihren Eltern.
Before the trip, Lisa said goodbye to her parents.
Nach dem Termin verließ Mehmet schnell das Büro.
After the appointment, Mehmet quickly left the office.