verachten
to despise
To feel deep contempt or dislike for someone or something and look down on the person or thing.
EXAMPLE
Er verachtet Menschen, die ihre Versprechen nicht halten.
He despises people who do not keep their promises.
verachten
to despise / to defy
verachten – verachtete – hat verachtet
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Meanings
verachten
to defy
To deliberately ignore something or override it, often out of arrogance or courage. Usually used in relation to abstract things such as danger or death.
EXAMPLE
Der erfahrene Bergsteiger verachtete die Gefahr und kletterte ohne Sicherung weiter.
The experienced mountaineer defied the danger and kept climbing without a safety rope.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry verachten, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Present
| ich | verachte |
|---|---|
| du | verachtest |
| er/sie/es | verachtet |
| wir | verachten |
| ihr | verachtet |
| sie | verachten |
Simple past
| ich | verachtete |
|---|---|
| du | verachtetest |
| er/sie/es | verachtete |
| wir | verachteten |
| ihr | verachtetet |
| sie | verachteten |
Perfect
with haben
| ich | habe verachtet |
|---|---|
| du | hast verachtet |
| er/sie/es | hat verachtet |
| wir | haben verachtet |
| ihr | habt verachtet |
| sie | haben verachtet |
Commands
| du | verachte! veracht! |
|---|---|
| ihr | verachtet! |
| Sie | verachten Sie! |
Past perfect
| ich | hatte verachtet |
|---|---|
| du | hattest verachtet |
| er/sie/es | hatte verachtet |
| wir | hatten verachtet |
| ihr | hattet verachtet |
| sie | hatten verachtet |
Future
| ich | werde verachten |
|---|---|
| du | wirst verachten |
| er/sie/es | wird verachten |
| wir | werden verachten |
| ihr | werdet verachten |
| sie | werden verachten |
Subjunctive I
| ich | verachte |
|---|---|
| du | verachtest |
| er/sie/es | verachte |
| wir | verachten |
| ihr | verachtet |
| sie | verachten |
Used for reported speech.
Subjunctive II
| ich | verachtete |
|---|---|
| du | verachtetest |
| er/sie/es | verachtete |
| wir | verachteten |
| ihr | verachtetet |
| sie | verachteten |
Used for wishes and “would”.
Other forms
| infinitive | verachten |
|---|---|
| with zu | zu verachten |
| present participle | verachtend |
| past participle | verachtet |
Usage tips
Inseparable verb
'Verachten' (to despise) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'ver-' always stays attached to the stem 'achten' (to respect/pay attention to). It reverses the meaning of 'achten' (to respect) into its opposite.
EXAMPLE
Sie verachtete ihn für seine Lügen.
She despised him for his lies.
Ich habe immer die Unehrlichkeit verachtet.
I have always despised dishonesty.
Use with the accusative
The verb 'verachten' (to despise) always requires a direct object in the accusative. You always despise 'jemanden' (someone) or 'etwas' (something).
EXAMPLE
Er verachtet jede Form von Gewalt.
He despises every form of violence.
Warum verachtest du meine Meinung so sehr?
Why do you despise my opinion so much?
Strong and formal word
'Verachten' (to despise) is a very strong word that expresses deep dislike. It is mainly used in written language or in formal contexts.
EXAMPLE
In seiner Rede sagte er, dass er Korruption zutiefst verachte.
In his speech, he said that he deeply despised corruption.
Typical collocations
In the meaning of 'sich über etwas hinwegsetzen' (to disregard/defy something), 'verachten' is often combined with abstract concepts such as 'den Tod' (death), 'die Gefahr' (danger), or 'die Regeln' (the rules).
EXAMPLE
Der Held der Geschichte verachtete den Tod und stürzte sich in den Kampf.
The hero of the story defied death and threw himself into battle.
Sie verachtete alle Warnungen und setzte ihre Reise allein fort.
She defied all warnings and continued her journey alone.
Compare with
verachten vs hassen
to hate
Hassen and verachten both express strong rejection of a person. “Hassen” mainly emphasizes the very strong negative feeling, while “verachten” additionally conveys contempt and looking down on someone. Choose “verachten” when this condescending attitude is important.
verachten
Wegen seiner Lügen verachtete sie ihren ehemaligen Freund.
She despised her former friend because of his lies.
hassen
Nach dem Streit hasste er seinen ehemaligen Freund noch lange.
He hated his former friend for a long time after the argument.
In real life
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