jemandem etwas vorwerfen
to accuse someone of something
To criticize or accuse someone for misconduct or for failing to do something.
EXAMPLE
Er warf ihr vor, sein Vertrauen missbraucht zu haben.
He accused her of having abused his trust.
vorwerfen
to accuse / throw forward
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Meanings
vorwerfen
to throw forward
To throw something forward with a quick movement. Often used in sports or when describing the movement of animals.
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Ballgewinn musste der Torwart den Ball schnell vorwerfen, um einen Gegenangriff zu starten.
After winning the ball, the goalkeeper had to throw the ball forward quickly to start a counterattack.
Usage tips
Separable verb
'Vorwerfen' (to accuse / to throw forward) is a separable verb. The prefix 'vor-' comes at the end in a main clause. In subordinate clauses and in the infinitive with 'zu', the verb stays together.
EXAMPLE
Sie wirft ihm seine Unpünktlichkeit vor.
She accuses him of being unpunctual.
Word structure
The verb consists of 'vor' (forward/in front) and 'werfen' (to throw). The literal meaning is 'to throw forward'. The figurative meaning 'to accuse' can be imagined as throwing an accusation 'at someone's feet'.
EXAMPLE
Der Hund wirft beim Laufen die Beine weit vor.
The dog throws its legs far forward when running.
Sentence structure with dative
When accusing someone, the verb has a fixed structure: the person being accused is in the dative. The thing they are accused of is in the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Der Chef warf dem Mitarbeiter (Dativ) einen schweren Fehler (Akkusativ) vor.
The boss accused the employee (dative) of a serious mistake (accusative).
Context clue
The literal meaning 'nach vorne werfen' (to throw forward) is rare. It is mainly used in sports (e.g., handball) or to describe animal movements. In most other contexts, 'vorwerfen' means to accuse.
EXAMPLE
Der Handballspieler wirft den Ball schnell vor zum Mitspieler.
The handball player quickly throws the ball forward to his teammate.
Compare with
vorwerfen vs konfrontieren
to confront
Both verbs can mean addressing someone directly about a problem or possible misconduct. „Vorwerfen“ always conveys blame or an accusation, whereas „konfrontieren“ can also mean pointing out an unpleasant fact without assigning blame. Use „vorwerfen“ for criticism; otherwise, „konfrontieren“ is often the better choice.
vorwerfen
Die Chefin warf ihm vor, die fehlenden Zahlen absichtlich verschwiegen zu haben.
The manager accused him of deliberately concealing the missing figures.
konfrontieren
Die Chefin konfrontierte ihn mit den fehlenden Zahlen, ohne ihm sofort einen Fehler vorzuwerfen.
The manager confronted him with the missing figures without immediately accusing him of making a mistake.
In real life
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