to sue
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to sue
To take someone or an institution to court in order to enforce a legal claim or obtain a penalty.
Er hat die Firma verklagt, weil er zu Unrecht gekündigt wurde.
He sued the company because he was wrongfully dismissed.
The verb is made up of the inseparable prefix 'ver-' and the verb 'klagen' (to complain). The prefix turns a personal complaint into an official legal action against someone.
Sie überlegt, ihren Nachbarn wegen des Lärms zu verklagen.
She is considering suing her neighbor because of the noise.
The person or institution you take to court is always in the accusative. You sue 'jemanden' (someone).
Der Kunde hat den Hersteller des defekten Geräts verklagt.
The customer sued the manufacturer of the defective device.
The reason for the lawsuit is often expressed with the prepositions 'wegen' (+ genitive) or 'auf' (+ accusative). 'Auf' is usually used for financial claims.
Er verklagte sie wegen übler Nachrede.
He sued her for defamation.
to sentence / condemn
'verurteilen' and 'verklagen' both belong to the area of courts, but they mean different steps. 'verklagen' means to take someone to court because you want to enforce a claim or obtain a penalty. 'verurteilen' happens later, through the court, when the person is found guilty and receives a punishment. Learners can easily confuse the words because both have to do with a trial. Put simply: a person can 'verklagen' someone, but only a court can 'verurteilen' someone.
Ich verklage den Händler, weil er mein Geld nicht zurückzahlt.
I am suing the dealer because he is not paying my money back.
Am Montag verurteilt das Gericht den Betrüger zu einer hohen Geldstrafe.
On Monday, the court sentences the fraudster to a large fine.