verurteilen
to sentence
To determine a punishment for a person in a court case.
EXAMPLE
Der Angeklagte wurde wegen Diebstahls zu einer Geldstrafe verurteilt.
The defendant was sentenced to a fine for theft.
verurteilen
to sentence / condemn
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Meanings
verurteilen
to condemn
To strongly reject and disapprove of something or someone on moral or ethical grounds.
EXAMPLE
Wir verurteilen jede Form von Rassismus auf das Schärfste.
We condemn every form of racism in the strongest possible terms.
jemanden/etwas zu etwas verurteilen
to condemn to
To force someone or something into a negative state or an inescapable fate.
EXAMPLE
Die ständigen Pannen verurteilten das Projekt zum Scheitern.
The constant breakdowns condemned the project to failure.
Usage tips
Inseparable verb
The verb 'verurteilen' (to sentence/condemn) is inseparable. The prefix 'ver-' remains firmly attached to the stem 'urteilen' in all sentence forms and tenses.
EXAMPLE
Das Gericht verurteilte den Mann.
The court sentenced the man.
Court-related sentence structure
In a legal context, the structure 'jemanden zu einer Strafe verurteilen' (to sentence someone to a punishment) is used, with the dative after 'zu'. Alternatively, the reason can be stated with 'wegen' and the genitive.
EXAMPLE
Sie wurde zu einer Bewährungsstrafe verurteilt.
She was sentenced to probation.
Typical collocations
When morally rejecting something, 'verurteilen' (to condemn) is often combined with strong adverbs to emphasize the disapproval. Typical phrases are 'scharf verurteilen' (to strongly condemn) or 'aufs Schärfste verurteilen' (to condemn in the strongest possible terms).
EXAMPLE
Die Politikerin verurteilte den Angriff scharf.
The politician strongly condemned the attack.
Fixed expression
The passive form 'zum Scheitern verurteilt sein' (to be doomed/condemned to failure) is a very common expression. It describes that a plan or project has no chance of success.
EXAMPLE
Ohne finanzielle Unterstützung ist das Projekt zum Scheitern verurteilt.
Without financial support, the project is doomed to failure.
Compare with
verurteilen vs zwingen
to force
Both words can express that someone does not freely decide how to deal with their situation. Zu etwas verurteilen emphasizes a lasting, almost unavoidable negative state; zwingen emphasizes the pressure that makes someone do something against their will. The key distinction is therefore fate versus applied coercion.
verurteilen
Die schwere Krankheit verurteilte ihn dauerhaft zu einem Leben in Isolation.
The serious illness condemned him to a life of permanent isolation.
zwingen
Die behördliche Anordnung zwang ihn vorübergehend zur Isolation.
The official order temporarily forced him into isolation.
In real life
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