to defend oneself
Loading your saved state.
to defend oneself
To actively defend oneself against an attack, threat, or unwanted influence, or to resist it.
Das Opfer konnte sich gegen den Angreifer wehren und fliehen.
The victim was able to defend himself against the attacker and flee.
to forbid someone something
(Outdated) To forbid someone something or prevent someone from doing something.
Der König wehrte dem Gesandten den Zutritt zum Thronsaal.
The king forbade the envoy entry to the throne room.
In its modern meaning, 'wehren' (to defend oneself) is almost always used reflexively as 'sich wehren' (to defend oneself). The reflexive pronoun must agree with the subject (ich wehre mich, du wehrst dich, er wehrt sich).
Du musst lernen, dich zu wehren.
You have to learn to defend yourself.
The verb 'wehren' (to defend oneself) is the basis for the noun 'die Wehr', which means 'defense'. You can also recognize this root in words like 'die Feuerwehr' (fire department) or 'die Bundeswehr' (the German armed forces), which are organizations for defending against dangers.
Die Feuerwehr ist schnell zur Stelle, um den Brand zu bekämpfen.
The fire department arrived quickly to fight the fire.
The construction is always 'sich wehren gegen' followed by a noun in the accusative. You defend yourself 'against' a person or a thing.
Die Mitarbeiter wehren sich gegen die neuen Arbeitszeiten.
The employees are resisting the new working hours.
The meaning 'to forbid someone something' is outdated and is no longer used in modern German. You only find it in historical or literary texts.
In alten Geschichten wehrte der Wächter den Fremden den Eintritt.
In old stories, the guard forbade the strangers entry.
to defend
Both verbs describe resistance to an attack. Sich wehren puts the affected person and their reaction at the center, while sich verteidigen can also emphasize protecting a person or thing. Use sich wehren for one's own resistance and verteidigen for deliberate protection.
Die verletzte Frau wehrte sich gegen den angreifenden Mann.
The injured woman fought back against the attacking man.
Der Wachmann verteidigte die verletzte Frau gegen den angreifenden Mann.
The security guard defended the injured woman against the attacking man.
