to contaminate
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to contaminate
To make something clean, pure, or untouched dirty or impure by adding dirt, pollutants, or other unwanted substances.
Ausgelaufenes Öl drohte, den Fluss und das Trinkwasser zu verunreinigen.
Leaked oil threatened to contaminate the river and the drinking water.
The verb is made up of the prefix 'ver-' and the adjective 'unrein' (impure). Literally, it means to make something 'unrein' (impure). The prefix 'ver-' here describes the process of a change of state.
Durch den Unfall wurde das Grundwasser verunreinigt.
The accident contaminated the groundwater.
'Verunreinigen' (to contaminate) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'ver-' is never separated from the rest of the verb in a sentence.
Die Fabrik hat jahrelang den Boden verunreinigt.
The factory contaminated the soil for years.
To name the substance that causes the contamination, you use the preposition 'mit' followed by the dative.
Das Wasser wurde mit Chemikalien aus der Fabrik verunreinigt.
The water was contaminated with chemicals from the factory.
Common objects for 'verunreinigen' (to contaminate) are things that should originally be pure, such as 'Wasser' (water), 'die Umwelt' (the environment), 'Lebensmittel' (food), or 'eine Wunde' (a wound).
Achten Sie darauf, die Lebensmittel nicht mit Bakterien zu verunreinigen.
Make sure not to contaminate the food with bacteria.
to contaminate
Verunreinigen generally means making something impure by adding dirt, pollutants, or other unwanted substances. Verseuchen more strongly expresses that pathogens, poison, or similar substances make what is affected dangerous. For a dangerous form of contamination, verseuchen is therefore usually the better choice.
Sand und Erde haben das zuvor klare Wasser verunreinigt.
Sand and soil contaminated the previously clear water.
Giftige Chemikalien haben das Wasser verseucht und für Menschen gefährlich gemacht.
Toxic chemicals contaminated the water and made it dangerous for people.
