to interrogate / to mishear
Loading your saved state.
to interrogate
To question a person, especially a suspect or witness, officially and systematically, usually by the police or an authority.
Die Polizei verhörte den Verdächtigen die ganze Nacht.
The police interrogated the suspect all night.
'Verhören' (to interrogate / to mishear) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'ver-' always remains connected to the stem 'hören' (to hear), including in the past participle ('verhört') and in subordinate clauses.
Der Zeuge wurde gestern verhört.
The witness was interrogated yesterday.
The meaning changes completely depending on whether the verb is used reflexively or transitively. 'Jemanden verhören' (to interrogate someone; transitive) means to question a person officially. 'Sich verhören' (to mishear; reflexive) means to hear something incorrectly.
Die Ermittler verhören den Hauptverdächtigen.
The investigators are interrogating the main suspect.
In the context of official questioning, the subjects are often authorities such as 'die Polizei' (the police), 'die Staatsanwaltschaft' (the public prosecutor's office), or 'der Ermittler' (the investigator). The objects are usually 'der Zeuge' (the witness), 'der Verdächtige' (the suspect), or 'der Angeklagte' (the defendant).
Die Staatsanwaltschaft wird die Zeugin morgen verhören.
The public prosecutor's office will interrogate the witness tomorrow.
'Sich verhören' (to mishear) is very often used in a question to express surprise or disbelief at something you heard.
Moment, habe ich mich da gerade verhört? Du ziehst nach Australien?
Wait, did I just mishear that? You're moving to Australia?
to listen to / to sound
'anhören' and 'verhören' can both occur in official situations when one person says something and others listen or ask questions. 'jemanden anhören' means giving a person the opportunity to explain their point of view. This sounds more neutral. 'verhören' means that a person is questioned officially and systematically, often by the police or an authority. Learners may confuse the words because both have to do with official statements. The difference is: with 'Anhören', the focus is on listening; with 'Verhören', the focus is on detailed questioning.
Morgen verhört die Polizei den Verdächtigen noch einmal.
Tomorrow the police will interrogate the suspect again.
Der Ausschuss hat den Zeugen am Montag angehört.
The committee heard the witness on Monday.