to disguise / to clad
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to dress up
To change one's clothing and appearance so that one represents another person or character, often for fun at celebrations like Carnival or Halloween.
Die Kinder haben sich zu Karneval als Piraten verkleidet.
The children dressed up as pirates for Carnival.
to clad / cover
To cover a surface, for example a wall, ceiling, or facade, with another material (such as wood or panels) in order to protect or beautify it.
Wir wollen die alte Decke mit Holzpaneelen verkleiden.
We want to clad the old ceiling with wooden panels.
The meaning of the verb changes with the grammar. 'Sich verkleiden' means to wear a costume and is reflexive. 'Etwas verkleiden' means to cover a surface and is transitive.
Er verkleidet sich jedes Jahr als Clown.
He dresses up as a clown every year.
'Verkleiden' is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'ver-' remains firmly attached to the stem 'kleiden' in all tenses and sentence constructions.
Sie hat sich für die Party toll verkleidet.
She dressed up really well for the party.
When you want to say what costume someone is wearing, you use the fixed structure 'sich verkleiden als' + noun in the nominative. Typical occasions are Carnival, Fasching, or Halloween.
Mein Sohn möchte sich dieses Jahr als Superheld verkleiden.
My son wants to dress up as a superhero this year.
When you clad or cover a surface, the material used is given with the preposition 'mit' (+ dative).
Wir haben die unschöne Mauer mit Efeu verkleidet.
We covered the ugly wall with ivy.
to hold / clad
Both verbs can mean that a surface is covered with a material. „Verkleiden“ is the usual term in general usage. „Bekleiden“ is also possible, but for surfaces it sounds more formal and technical. In most cases, use „verkleiden“; use „bekleiden“ when a factual, technical style is appropriate.
Die Fachfirma verkleidete die Innenwand des Gebäudes mit dekorativen Platten.
The specialist company clad the building’s interior wall with decorative panels.
Die Fachfirma bekleidete die Innenwand des Gebäudes mit schützenden Platten.
The specialist company clad the building’s interior wall with protective panels.
