versenken
to sink
To cause something, especially a ship, to sink so that it goes below the surface of the water.
EXAMPLE
Im Zweiten Weltkrieg wurden viele Schiffe im Atlantik versenkt.
In the Second World War, many ships were sunk in the Atlantic.
versenken
to sink / to score
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Meanings
versenken
to score
Colloquial for successfully hitting a target in sports, for example putting a ball into a goal or basket.
EXAMPLE
Der Stürmer hat den Elfmeter eiskalt im rechten Eck versenkt.
The striker coolly scored the penalty in the right corner.
sich versenken in
to immerse oneself in
To occupy oneself with something intensely and with concentration, forgetting one's surroundings in the process.
EXAMPLE
Er kann sich stundenlang in ein gutes Buch versenken.
He can immerse himself in a good book for hours.
versenken
to sink
Colloquial and figurative for losing money or resources through a bad investment.
EXAMPLE
Sie hat ihr ganzes Erspartes in diesem gescheiterten Startup versenkt.
She sank all her savings into that failed startup.
Usage tips
Inseparable verb
'Versenken' (to sink) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'ver-' stays firmly attached to the stem 'senken' (to lower; to make sink) in all conjugations and sentence forms.
EXAMPLE
Er versenkte den Ball zielsicher im Korb.
He scored the ball confidently in the basket.
Context clues
You can easily recognize the meaning of 'versenken' (to sink / to score) from the object: with ships, it is about sinking; with balls, about sports; with money, about a bad investment; and with 'sich' (oneself), about concentration.
EXAMPLE
Der Pirat wollte das Handelsschiff versenken.
The pirate wanted to sink the merchant ship.
Reflexive use
To express intense concentration, the verb is used reflexively with the preposition 'in' and the accusative: 'sich in etwas versenken' (to immerse oneself in something).
EXAMPLE
Ich könnte mich den ganzen Tag in diese Musik versenken.
I could immerse myself in this music all day.
Colloquial sports usage
In a sports context, 'versenken' (to score) is a colloquial word for 'treffen' (to hit). It is often used to describe a particularly confident or important score.
EXAMPLE
Mit diesem Wurf hat sie den Sieg für ihre Mannschaft versenkt.
With that throw, she scored the win for her team.
Compare with
versenken vs versinken
to sink
Both words can describe a ship going below the surface of the water. „Versenken“ is transitive: someone or something causes the ship to sink. „Versinken“ is intransitive: the ship goes under by itself. Use „versenken“ for an action that causes something to sink and „versinken“ for the process of sinking.
versenken
Der Sturm versenkte das kleine Schiff vor der Küste.
The storm sank the small ship off the coast.
versinken
Das kleine Schiff versank während des Sturms vor der Küste.
The small ship sank off the coast during the storm.
In real life
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