vertreiben
to drive away
To force someone or something to leave a place; to chase away or banish.
EXAMPLE
Die laute Musik hat die Vögel aus dem Garten vertrieben.
The loud music drove the birds out of the garden.
vertreiben
to drive away / distribute
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Meanings
vertreiben
to distribute
To sell products or goods and distribute them to customers; to trade in something.
EXAMPLE
Diese Firma vertreibt Bioprodukte in ganz Europa.
This company distributes organic products throughout Europe.
sich die Zeit vertreiben
to pass the time
To do something so that time passes more quickly, often to fight boredom.
EXAMPLE
Im Wartezimmer vertrieb er sich die Zeit mit einem Buch.
In the waiting room, he passed the time with a book.
Usage tips
Inseparable verb
'Vertreiben' (to drive away / distribute) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'ver-' remains firmly attached to the verb 'treiben' (to drive) in all sentence forms and tenses and is never placed at the end of the sentence.
EXAMPLE
Der Bauer vertreibt die Krähen von seinem Feld.
The farmer drives the crows away from his field.
Word structure
The verb consists of the prefix 'ver-' and the stem 'treiben' (to drive). The prefix gives the verb two main directions: 'wegtreiben' (to drive away) or 'verteilend treiben' (to distribute, sell).
EXAMPLE
Die Polizei vertrieb die Demonstranten vom Platz.
The police drove the protesters away from the square.
Context clues
You can recognize the meaning from the object: if the object is a person or an animal, 'vertreiben' usually means 'to chase away'. If the object is a product or goods, it means 'to sell' or 'to distribute'.
EXAMPLE
Die Regierung vertrieb die feindlichen Spione aus dem Land.
The government drove the enemy spies out of the country.
Register
In the meaning of 'to sell', 'vertreiben' belongs to business and trade language. It describes the entire process of sales and distribution.
EXAMPLE
Das Unternehmen vertreibt seine Software weltweit.
The company distributes its software worldwide.
Fixed expression
The expression 'sich die Zeit vertreiben' (to pass the time) is reflexive. The person passing the time is in the dative. The activity is connected with the preposition 'mit' (with) plus dative.
EXAMPLE
Ich vertreibe mir die Zeit im Zug mit einem Podcast.
I pass the time on the train with a podcast.
Compare with
vertreiben vs verkaufen
to sell
Verkaufen and vertreiben both refer to goods reaching customers in exchange for money. Verkaufen focuses more on the individual transfer of ownership, while vertreiben also suggests the organized sale and distribution of a product to a market. Verkaufen fits a specific purchase, while vertreiben is more suitable for supplying a market.
vertreiben
Der Hersteller vertreibt die neue Kaffeemaschine über viele Geschäfte im ganzen Land.
The manufacturer distributes the new coffee machine through many stores across the country.
verkaufen
Der Laden verkauft die neue Kaffeemaschine direkt an seine Kunden.
The store sells the new coffee machine directly to its customers.
In real life
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