verbringen
to spend
To fill a certain period of time at a place or with a specific activity.
EXAMPLE
Wir haben das Wochenende damit verbracht, den Garten aufzuräumen.
We spent the weekend tidying up the garden.
verbringen
to spend / transfer
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Meanings
verbringen
to transfer
In formal or official language: to bring or move someone or something to a particular place.
EXAMPLE
Der Festgenommene wurde zur weiteren Vernehmung auf die Polizeiwache verbracht.
The arrested person was transferred to the police station for further questioning.
Usage tips
Inseparable verb
'Verbringen' (to spend) is an inseparable verb with the prefix 'ver-'. The prefix always remains attached to the stem 'bringen' in all sentence forms.
EXAMPLE
Er hat seinen ganzen Nachmittag im Park verbracht.
He spent his whole afternoon in the park.
Sentence structure and use
The verb 'verbringen' (to spend) almost always needs a time expression as an accusative object. The activity with which one spends the time is often expressed with 'mit' + dative or a 'damit, ... zu' construction.
EXAMPLE
Sie verbringt viel Zeit mit ihren Hobbys.
She spends a lot of time on her hobbies.
Typical objects
'Verbringen' (to spend) is used exclusively for periods of time, never for money. Typical objects are: time, vacation, weekend, holidays, one's childhood, or a moment.
EXAMPLE
Wo habt ihr euren letzten Urlaub verbracht?
Where did you spend your last vacation?
Register and context
In the meaning of 'bringing someone to a place', 'verbringen' (to transfer) is very formal and typical of administrative or police language. This meaning is not used in everyday speech.
EXAMPLE
Die Akten wurden ins Archiv verbracht.
The files were transferred to the archive.
Compare with
verbringen vs leben
to live
For a limited stay, both leben and verbringen can work. Leben presents the place as a temporary center of life, while verbringen places more emphasis on the period of time itself. The choice therefore depends on whether life at the place or the duration is more important.
verbringen
Während ihres Studiums verbrachte sie ein Jahr in Berlin.
During her studies, she spent a year in Berlin.
leben
Während ihres Studiums lebte sie ein Jahr in Berlin.
During her studies, she lived in Berlin for a year.
In real life
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