to disturb
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to disturb
To strongly unsettle, confuse, or emotionally/psychologically throw someone off balance. To trigger deep irritation or a feeling of shock.
Die grausamen Bilder aus dem Kriegsgebiet haben viele Menschen zutiefst verstört.
The cruel images from the war zone deeply disturbed many people.
The verb is made up of the prefix 'ver-' and the verb 'stören' (to bother/disturb). While 'stören' simply means 'to bother', 'ver-' intensifies the meaning to 'to deeply unsettle' or 'to psychologically throw someone off balance'.
Sein seltsames Verhalten hat mich mehr als nur gestört, es hat mich richtig verstört.
His strange behavior did more than just bother me; it really disturbed me.
'Verstören' (to disturb) is a transitive verb. The person who is emotionally affected is always in the accusative. The cause is often the subject of the sentence.
Der plötzliche laute Knall hat die Katze völlig verstört.
The sudden loud bang completely disturbed the cat.
The past participle 'verstört' (disturbed) is very often used as an adjective to describe a person's state. It then means something like 'deeply unsettled' or 'confused'.
Nach dem Unfall stand er mit verstörtem Gesichtsausdruck am Straßenrand.
After the accident, he stood at the side of the road with a disturbed expression on his face.
to shock
Schockieren mainly emphasizes intense fright or horror as an immediate reaction. Verstören, by contrast, emphasizes that someone is deeply unsettled or thrown off balance emotionally. Verstören is therefore a better fit for inner unrest that continues over a longer period.
Die unheimliche Gewaltszene verstörte die Zuschauer noch lange nach dem Film.
The eerie scene of violence disturbed the viewers for a long time after the film.
Die plötzliche Gewaltszene schockierte die Zuschauer im ersten Moment.
The sudden scene of violence shocked the viewers at first.
