to poison
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to poison
To administer a toxic substance to someone or an animal in order to harm or kill them.
Im Krimi versuchte der Mörder, sein Opfer mit einem Pilzgift zu vergiften.
In the crime novel, the murderer tried to poison his victim with a mushroom toxin.
to poison oneself
To unintentionally or intentionally ingest a toxic substance, resulting in poisoning.
Er hat sich beim Pilzesammeln geirrt und sich mit einem Knollenblätterpilz vergiftet.
He made a mistake while collecting mushrooms and poisoned himself with a death cap mushroom.
to poison
To contaminate something, such as the environment, water, or food, with harmful or toxic substances.
Die illegal entsorgten Chemikalien haben das Grundwasser in der Region vergiftet.
The illegally disposed-of chemicals poisoned the groundwater in the region.
to poison
In a figurative sense, to destroy a relationship, mood, or atmosphere through negative behavior such as mistrust, hatred, or lies.
Seine ständigen Eifersuchtsszenen haben ihre Beziehung langsam vergiftet.
His constant jealous scenes slowly poisoned their relationship.
The verb 'vergiften' (to poison) comes from the German noun 'das Gift', which means 'poison'. It is a well-known false friend of the English word 'gift' (present).
Vorsicht, diese Beeren enthalten ein starkes Gift.
Careful, these berries contain a strong poison.
The verb is made up of the prefix 'ver-' and the noun 'Gift' (poison). The prefix 'ver-' is inseparable, which means it stays attached to the verb in all sentence forms.
Er wurde beschuldigt, den Hund seines Nachbarn vergiftet zu haben.
He was accused of having poisoned his neighbor's dog.
Pay attention to the difference: 'jemanden vergiften' (to poison someone) means to give poison to another person. 'Sich vergiften' (to poison oneself) means that you yourself ingest poison, either intentionally or unintentionally.
Die Hauptfigur im Film vergiftet ihren Feind.
The main character in the film poisons her enemy.
When the substance used to poison someone or something is mentioned, German uses the preposition 'mit' followed by the dative.
Die Patienten hatten sich mit verdorbenem Fisch vergiftet.
The patients had poisoned themselves with spoiled fish.
You can recognize the figurative meaning by the fact that the object is something abstract. You do not poison a person, but rather 'die Atmosphäre' (the atmosphere), 'eine Beziehung' (a relationship), or 'die Stimmung' (the mood).
Sein ständiges Misstrauen hat die Arbeitsatmosphäre im Team vergiftet.
His constant mistrust poisoned the working atmosphere in the team.
to contaminate
Both verbs can mean that water, soil, or food is dangerously contaminated. „Vergiften“ emphasizes toxic substances. „Verseuchen“ is broader and highlights contamination by pathogens or other harmful substances.
Die Chemikalien aus der Fabrik vergifteten den Fluss.
The chemicals from the factory poisoned the river.
Die Bakterien verseuchten den Fluss nach dem Hochwasser.
The bacteria contaminated the river after the flooding.
