to refuse
Loading your saved state.
to refuse
To firmly reject something that is demanded or expected of you and not do it. This expresses strong unwillingness.
Der Angeklagte weigerte sich, eine Aussage zu machen.
The defendant refused to make a statement.
'Weigern' (to refuse) is a reflexive verb and must always be used together with a reflexive pronoun in the accusative (mich, dich, sich, uns, euch, sich). The pronoun agrees with the subject of the sentence.
Ich weigere mich, diese ungerechte Regel zu akzeptieren.
I refuse to accept this unfair rule.
The most common sentence structure with 'sich weigern' (to refuse) is the combination with an infinitive with 'zu'. This expresses which action someone does not want to carry out.
Das Kind weigerte sich, sein Gemüse zu essen.
The child refused to eat his vegetables.
The verb 'sich weigern' (to refuse) expresses a strong and deliberate rejection. Stylistically, it is somewhat more formal and stronger than other expressions of refusal.
Die Mitarbeiter weigerten sich, unter den neuen Bedingungen weiterzuarbeiten.
The employees refused to continue working under the new conditions.
to reject
'ablehnen' and 'sich weigern' both mean that you say no to something. 'ablehnen' fits well with offers, requests, or suggestions: you do not accept them. 'Sich weigern' is used when someone is supposed to do something or would have to do something, but firmly does not do it. It sounds stronger and shows more resistance. Learners often confuse the words because both express a no. Pay attention to the grammar: you 'lehnt etwas ab', but you 'weigert sich, etwas zu tun' (refuse to do something).
Erik weigert sich, am Wochenende noch einmal ins Büro zu fahren.
Erik refuses to go to the office again on the weekend.
Den Vorschlag für ein Treffen am Sonntag werde ich wegen der Arbeit ablehnen.
I will turn down the suggestion to meet on Sunday because of work.