01
verbannen
to banish
To force someone to leave their country or a specific region; to send into exile.
example
Der König verbannte seinen Gegner aus dem Reich.
The king banished his opponent from the realm.
verbannen
to banish / ban
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
01 / 03
Usage tips
Inseparable verb
'Verbannen' (to banish / ban) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'ver-' remains firmly attached to the verb 'bannen' in all sentence forms and is not placed at the end of the sentence.
EXAMPLE
Er verbannte alle negativen Gedanken.
He banished all negative thoughts.
Preposition 'aus'
'Verbannen' (to banish / ban) is very often used with the preposition 'aus' and the dative. This construction describes the place or area from which someone or something is removed.
EXAMPLE
Der Spieler wurde aus der Mannschaft verbannt.
The player was banished from the team.
Typical collocations
In the sense of 'entfernen' (to remove), the verb is often used for rules or objects. Typical combinations are 'Plastiktüten verbannen' (to ban plastic bags), 'Werbung verbannen' (to ban advertising), or 'Gefahrstoffe verbannen' (to ban hazardous substances).
EXAMPLE
Viele Supermärkte verbannen Einweg-Plastiktüten aus ihren Läden.
Many supermarkets are banning single-use plastic bags from their stores.
Figurative meaning
The verb is also used metaphorically for thoughts, feelings, or memories. The typical structure is 'etwas aus seinem Gedächtnis verbannen' (to banish something from one's memory) or 'aus seinen Gedanken verbannen' (to banish from one's thoughts).
EXAMPLE
Sie versuchte, die Erinnerung an den Streit aus ihren Gedanken zu verbannen.
She tried to banish the memory of the argument from her thoughts.
Compare with
verbannen vs vergessen
to forget
'vergessen' and 'verbannen' can both have to do with thoughts or memories. 'vergessen' means that you no longer remember something. This often happens on its own. Here, 'verbannen' means that you consciously want to push a thought or memory out of your mind. The words are confusable because in both cases something is not meant to stay in your awareness. But 'vergessen' describes the result, while 'verbannen' describes more of a conscious attempt.
verbannen
Nach dem Streit verbannte sie die unangenehme Erinnerung aus ihren Gedanken.
After the argument, she banished the unpleasant memory from her thoughts.
vergessen
Herr Krüger vergisst nach der Nachricht seinen wichtigen Termin.
After the news, Mr. Krüger forgets his important appointment.
In real life
Loading video examples...