to bequeath / pass on
Loading your saved state.
to bequeath
To pass on one's possessions, such as money or property, to a person or organization after one's death.
Meine Großmutter hat mir ihre wertvolle Uhrensammlung vererbt.
My grandmother bequeathed me her valuable watch collection.
The verb 'vererben' (to bequeath/pass on) is the counterpart to 'erben' (to inherit). 'Erben' means to receive something, while 'vererben' means to give something away. The prefix 'ver-' reverses the direction of the action here.
Er wird das Haus seiner Eltern erben.
He will inherit his parents' house.
'Vererben' (to bequeath/pass on) often takes two objects: the person who receives something is in the dative (to whom?), and the thing that is passed on is in the accusative (what?). The structure is: subject vererbt [dative] [accusative].
Der Großvater hat seinem Enkel (Dativ) eine goldene Uhr (Akkusativ) vererbt.
The grandfather bequeathed his grandson (dative) a gold watch (accusative).
Whether the legal or biological meaning is intended can be recognized from the accusative object. If it is about money, possessions, or real estate, the legal meaning is intended. If it is about traits, diseases, or talents, the biological meaning is intended.
Er hat seinem Sohn ein Vermögen vererbt.
He bequeathed a fortune to his son.
In the reflexive form 'sich vererben' (to be inherited/to be passed down), the trait or disease is the subject of the sentence. This construction emphasizes that being passed on is a characteristic of the trait itself.
Diese seltene Augenfarbe vererbt sich nur über mehrere Generationen.
This rare eye color is only inherited over several generations.
to transmit / transfer
'übertragen' and 'vererben' can both mean that something is passed on. 'übertragen' is very general: you can transfer a task or a right to someone, or transmit a disease to someone. 'vererben', on the other hand, is used for possessions after death or for biological traits that are passed from parents to children. The words can be confused because both describe passing something on. The important point is the direction: 'vererben' usually has to do with inheritance or generations; 'übertragen' does not necessarily.
Die Großmutter möchte ihr Haus später ihrer Tochter vererben.
The grandmother would like to leave her house to her daughter later.
Mücken können bestimmte Krankheiten auf Menschen übertragen.
Mosquitoes can transmit certain diseases to humans.