to delay / abduct
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to delay
To intentionally or unintentionally delay or drag something out so that it takes longer than necessary.
Die Opposition wirft der Regierung vor, die Reform zu verschleppen.
The opposition accuses the government of delaying the reform.
to abduct
To take someone by force and against their will to another, often unknown place; to kidnap.
Im Krieg wurden viele Zivilisten in Arbeitslager verschleppt.
During the war, many civilians were abducted and taken to labor camps.
to neglect an illness
To fail to properly recover from an illness, causing it to continue, worsen, or become chronic.
Wenn man eine Grippe verschleppt, kann das zu einer Herzmuskelentzündung führen.
If you neglect the flu, it can lead to inflammation of the heart muscle.
'Verschleppen' (to delay / abduct) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'ver-' always remains attached to the stem 'schleppen' (to drag / haul), even in a main clause.
Er verschleppte die Entscheidung wochenlang.
He delayed the decision for weeks.
The meaning can be recognized well from the object. If it is a process or task, 'verzögern' (to delay) is meant. If the object is a person, it means 'entführen' (to abduct / kidnap). If the object is an illness, it refers to not recovering from it properly.
Er versuchte, den Beginn des Meetings zu verschleppen.
He tried to delay the start of the meeting.
In the meaning 'verzögern' (to delay), the verb is often used with abstract nouns from politics and administration, for example 'einen Prozess verschleppen' (to delay a process), 'eine Reform verschleppen' (to delay a reform), or 'eine Antwort verschleppen' (to delay an answer).
Die Bürokratie hat den Bau des neuen Kindergartens um Monate verschleppt.
The bureaucracy delayed the construction of the new kindergarten by months.
The third meaning is used almost exclusively in the fixed expression 'eine Krankheit verschleppen' (to neglect an illness / fail to recover properly from an illness). It is a very common and important collocation related to health.
Wer eine Lungenentzündung verschleppt, riskiert schwere gesundheitliche Folgen.
Anyone who neglects pneumonia risks serious health consequences.
to kidnap / hijack
Both words refer to taking a person away by force against their will. Entführen refers generally to kidnapping and is often appropriate when, for example, a ransom demand is central. Verschleppen places more emphasis on forcibly taking someone to another, often unknown place.
Die Täter verschleppten den Journalisten an einen unbekannten Ort, an dem er spurlos verschwand.
The perpetrators abducted the journalist and took him to an unknown place, where he vanished without a trace.
Die Täter entführten den Journalisten und forderten für seine Freilassung Lösegeld.
The perpetrators kidnapped the journalist and demanded a ransom for his release.
