verschreiben
to prescribe
As a doctor, to order a medication or treatment for a patient in writing.
EXAMPLE
Der Arzt hat mir ein starkes Schmerzmittel verschrieben.
The doctor prescribed me a strong painkiller.
verschreiben
to prescribe / to make a writing mistake
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Meanings
sich verschreiben
to make a writing mistake
To make a mistake while writing by writing the wrong word or the wrong letter.
EXAMPLE
Entschuldigung, ich habe mich bei der Hausnummer verschrieben, es ist die 15, nicht die 51.
Sorry, I made a mistake with the house number; it's 15, not 51.
sich verschreiben
to devote oneself
To devote and commit oneself completely to a cause, an idea, or a person.
EXAMPLE
Er hat sich voll und ganz der Forschung verschrieben.
He has devoted himself completely to research.
verschreiben
to use up writing
To use up writing materials such as ink, paper, or pens through intensive writing.
EXAMPLE
Für seine Memoiren hat der Autor unzählige Kugelschreiber verschrieben.
For his memoirs, the author used up countless ballpoint pens writing.
Usage tips
Inseparable verb
'Verschreiben' is an inseparable verb derived from the verb 'schreiben' (to write). The prefix 'ver-' remains firmly attached to the verb in all sentence forms and is never separated.
EXAMPLE
Ich glaube, der Arzt hat mir das falsche Medikament verschrieben.
I think the doctor prescribed me the wrong medication.
Reflexive or not?
The meaning changes completely depending on whether the verb is used reflexively (with 'sich') or not. Without 'sich', it usually means 'to issue a prescription', while 'sich verschreiben' means 'to make a writing mistake' or 'to devote oneself to something'.
EXAMPLE
Der Arzt verschreibt ein Antibiotikum.
The doctor prescribes an antibiotic.
Sentence structure with dative
When a doctor prescribes something, a fixed structure is used: the person who receives the prescription is in the dative, and the medication or treatment is in the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Die Ärztin verschrieb dem Patienten Bettruhe.
The doctor prescribed the patient bed rest.
Reflexive with 'sich'
In the meaning 'to make a writing mistake', the verb is always reflexive. You say 'sich verschreiben'. It is often supplemented with the preposition 'bei' to indicate where the mistake occurred.
EXAMPLE
Oh, ich habe mich beim Datum verschrieben. Wir treffen uns morgen, nicht heute.
Oh, I made a mistake with the date. We're meeting tomorrow, not today.
Devoting with dative
When you devote yourself to something, that thing is in the dative. The structure is: 'sich einer Sache verschreiben' (to devote oneself to something).
EXAMPLE
Dieser Wissenschaftler hat sich der Erforschung des Klimawandels verschrieben.
This scientist has devoted himself to researching climate change.
Compare with
verschreiben vs vorschreiben
to prescribe / write out
A doctor can vorschreiben (prescribe or mandate) a particular behavior or verschreiben (prescribe) a medication. Vorschreiben means laying down a binding rule or instruction. In a medical context, verschreiben refers to the written ordering of a medication or treatment. Therefore, a medication is verschrieben, not vorgeschrieben.
verschreiben
Der Arzt verschreibt dem Patienten ein Medikament gegen die Schmerzen.
The doctor prescribes the patient medication for the pain.
vorschreiben
Der Arzt schreibt dem Patienten tägliche Bewegung vor.
The doctor prescribes daily exercise for the patient.
In real life
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