to defend oneself
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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.
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The meaning 'to forbid someone something' is outdated and is no longer used in modern German.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 fight
'kämpfen' and 'sich wehren' both have to do with resistance. 'kämpfen' is broader: it can mean an attack, a war, an argument, or also taking action against a problem. 'sich wehren' mainly means defending yourself against an attack, pressure, or something unwanted. The words can be confused because in both cases you actively do something against an opponent or a problem. The difference is: someone who 'kämpft' can also attack or act for a goal; someone who 'sich wehrt' usually reacts to something and defends themselves.
In der Schule wehrt sich der Junge gegen die gemeinen Kommentare.
At school, the boy defends himself against the mean comments.
Die Ärztin kämpft mit ihrem Team gegen die schnelle Ausbreitung der Krankheit.
The doctor and her team are fighting against the rapid spread of the disease.