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.
to pass
To officially approve and make valid a law, decision, or budget in a parliament or committee.
Der Bundestag hat gestern das neue Klimaschutzgesetz verabschiedet.
The Bundestag passed the new climate protection law yesterday.
to see off
To formally release someone from an office, position, or working life, often as part of a celebration.
Der langjährige Direktor wurde mit einer großen Feier in den Ruhestand verabschiedet.
The long-serving director was seen off into retirement with a big celebration.
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 decide / conclude
Both verbs fit when a parliament or committee decides on a text. Beschließen generally refers to the act of deciding, whereas verabschieden, when used with a law, decision, or budget, emphasizes formal adoption and validity. Use beschließen for the decision and verabschieden for the officially adopted result.
Der Landtag verabschiedete gestern den neuen Haushaltsplan offiziell.
The state parliament officially passed the new budget yesterday.
Der Landtag beschloss gestern den neuen Haushaltsplan.
The state parliament decided on the new budget yesterday.
