to spare
Loading your saved state.
to spare
To deliberately not punish, injure, kill, or otherwise treat someone or something negatively, even though there is the possibility of doing so.
Der Richter entschied, den Ersttäter zu verschonen und ihm nur eine Geldstrafe aufzuerlegen.
The judge decided to spare the first-time offender and impose only a fine on him.
to be spared from
To not be affected by something negative such as an illness, an accident, or a disaster.
Unsere Stadt blieb glücklicherweise vom Unwetter verschont.
Our city was fortunately spared from the severe storm.
'Verschonen' (to spare) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'ver-' always remains attached to the verb stem 'schonen' (to spare/protect), even in the past participle ('verschont').
Er hat mich mit den Details seiner Reise verschont.
He spared me the details of his trip.
In this meaning, 'verschonen' (to spare) always requires an accusative object. This object is the person or thing that is not treated negatively.
Der Sturm hat zum Glück unser Haus verschont.
Luckily, the storm spared our house.
This meaning is almost always used in the fixed expression 'von etwas (Dativ) verschont bleiben' (to be spared from something). The subject is the person or place that was lucky.
Ich bin diesmal von einer Erkältung verschont geblieben.
This time I was spared from catching a cold.
to protect
Schützen and verschonen can both express that someone does not suffer harm. Schützen means actively acting against a danger, while verschonen emphasizes that a person is not injured despite a possible danger or attack. When active help or defense is involved, schützen is the appropriate choice; when someone deliberately refrains from attacking, verschonen is the right choice.
Die Angreifer verschonten die Bewohner des kleinen Dorfes.
The attackers spared the residents of the small village.
Die Einsatzkräfte schützten die Bewohner vor dem Feuer.
The emergency responders protected the residents from the fire.
