verheiratet sein
to be married
To be in the state of having entered into marriage; not to be single, divorced, or widowed.
EXAMPLE
Meine Eltern sind seit über 30 Jahren glücklich verheiratet.
My parents have been happily married for over 30 years.
verheiraten
to marry / to marry off
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Meanings
verheiraten
to marry off
To arrange or bring about a marriage for another person, often by the parents.
EXAMPLE
Früher war es üblich, seine Kinder aus strategischen Gründen zu verheiraten.
In the past, it was common to marry off one's children for strategic reasons.
sich verheiraten
to get married
To marry someone; to enter into a marriage. This form is less common than the simple 'heiraten' (to marry).
EXAMPLE
Sie wollen sich nächstes Jahr im kleinen Kreis verheiraten.
They want to get married next year in a small circle.
Usage tips
Inseparable verb
The prefix 'ver-' is inseparable and often signals a change of state. Here it describes the transition into the state of marriage. So the verb is not separated.
EXAMPLE
Die Eltern verheirateten ihre Tochter aus politischen Gründen.
The parents married off their daughter for political reasons.
Three important forms
The use of 'verheiraten' changes with the grammar: 'verheiratet sein' (to be married) describes the state, 'jemanden verheiraten' (to marry someone off) describes the action by a third person, and 'sich verheiraten' (to get married) is a reflexive form for one's own marriage.
EXAMPLE
Sie ist seit fünf Jahren verheiratet.
She has been married for five years.
State with a partner
If you want to say whom someone is married to, you use the preposition 'mit' (with) followed by the dative.
EXAMPLE
Er ist mit seiner Jugendliebe verheiratet.
He is married to his childhood sweetheart.
Context: arranged marriage
The form 'jemanden verheiraten' (to marry someone off) is often used when a third party (e.g., the parents) arranges a marriage for someone else. It often has a historical or traditional undertone.
EXAMPLE
In vielen alten Geschichten werden die Prinzessinnen gegen ihren Willen verheiratet.
In many old stories, the princesses are married off against their will.
Compare with
verheiraten vs heiraten
to marry
“Heiraten” normally describes a person entering into a marriage themselves. “Verheiraten” usually means that someone brings another person together with someone else or arranges their marriage; “sich verheiraten” is possible for this meaning, but less common. Use “heiraten” when talking about the couple and “verheiraten” when talking about the person arranging the marriage.
verheiraten
Im Roman verheirateten die Eltern ihre Tochter mit einem Mann aus dem Nachbardorf.
In the novel, the parents married their daughter off to a man from the neighboring village.
heiraten
Im Roman heiratete die Tochter einen Mann aus dem Nachbardorf.
In the novel, the daughter married a man from the neighboring village.
In real life
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