verkürzen
to shorten
To reduce the duration of something; to make something shorter in time.
EXAMPLE
Können wir die Besprechung vielleicht um 15 Minuten verkürzen?
Could we maybe shorten the meeting by 15 minutes?
verkürzen
to shorten
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Meanings
verkürzen
to shorten
To reduce the length of something; to make something physically shorter.
EXAMPLE
Die Schneiderin muss meine neue Hose um einige Zentimeter verkürzen.
The tailor has to shorten my new pants by a few centimeters.
sich verkürzen
to shorten
To become shorter in time or physical length.
EXAMPLE
Im Herbst verkürzen sich die Tage spürbar.
In autumn, the days noticeably shorten.
Usage tips
Word structure
The verb is made up of the prefix 'ver-' and the adjective 'kurz' (short). It literally means 'to make shorter' and is inseparable.
EXAMPLE
Der Redner musste seine Rede spontan verkürzen.
The speaker had to shorten his speech spontaneously.
Transitive vs. reflexive
When a person or thing actively makes something shorter, 'verkürzen' (to shorten) is used transitively. When something becomes shorter by itself, the reflexive form 'sich verkürzen' (to shorten) is used.
EXAMPLE
Ich lasse die Hose beim Schneider verkürzen.
I'm having the pants shortened at the tailor's.
Use with 'um'
To indicate the exact amount of shortening, the preposition 'um' is used followed by an accusative.
EXAMPLE
Wir haben die Reise um zwei Tage verkürzt.
We shortened the trip by two days.
Typical collocations (time)
When referring to time, 'verkürzen' (to shorten) is often combined with words like 'die Wartezeit' (the waiting time), 'die Frist' (the deadline), 'die Arbeitszeit' (working hours), or 'den Aufenthalt' (the stay).
EXAMPLE
Ein gutes Buch kann die Wartezeit beim Arzt verkürzen.
A good book can shorten the waiting time at the doctor's office.
Typical collocations (length)
When referring to physical length, typical objects are items of clothing ('ein Kleid' — a dress, 'eine Hose' — a pair of pants) or texts ('einen Satz' — a sentence, 'ein Kapitel' — a chapter).
EXAMPLE
Der Autor musste den Artikel für die Zeitung stark verkürzen.
The author had to shorten the article significantly for the newspaper.
Compare with
verkürzen vs kürzen
to shorten / reduce
When referring to a speech, both kürzen and verkürzen can be appropriate. Kürzen usually emphasizes reducing the content or scope, while verkürzen focuses more on the shorter duration. Choose the verb according to which aspect is important.
verkürzen
Wir verkürzen die Rede von zwanzig auf zehn Minuten.
We are shortening the speech from twenty minutes to ten.
kürzen
Wir kürzen die Rede, indem wir den letzten Abschnitt streichen.
We are shortening the speech by cutting the last section.
In real life
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