to wonder / surprise
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to wonder
To be amazed or surprised because something is unexpected, unusual, or hard to understand. Often used with the preposition 'über' or a 'dass' clause.
Ich wundere mich, dass er die Einladung angenommen hat.
I wonder that he accepted the invitation.
to surprise
To cause amazement or surprise in someone. This form is less common than the reflexive use and is often used impersonally with 'es' as the subject.
Es wundert mich sehr, dich hier zu treffen.
It surprises me a lot to meet you here.
The verb 'wundern' (to wonder/surprise) is closely related to the noun 'das Wunder' (miracle) and the adjective 'wunderbar' (wonderful). All of these words have to do with amazement and something special.
Es ist ein Wunder, dass bei dem Unfall niemand verletzt wurde.
It is a miracle that no one was injured in the accident.
The most common form is reflexive: 'sich wundern' (to wonder). The reflexive pronoun (mich, dich, sich, uns, euch, sich) is obligatory here.
Du wunderst dich bestimmt über meinen Anruf.
You're probably wondering about my call.
The reason for the amazement is usually added with the preposition 'über' (+ accusative) or a subordinate clause with 'dass' or a question word (wie, warum, wo).
Ich wundere mich über das seltsame Geräusch.
I wonder about the strange noise.
The non-reflexive form is almost always used impersonally with 'es' as the subject: 'Es wundert mich/dich/ihn...' (It surprises me/you/him...). Here, the person who is surprised is the object of the sentence.
Es wundert mich nicht, dass er die Prüfung nicht bestanden hat.
It doesn't surprise me that he didn't pass the exam.
to surprise
Both verbs relate to something unexpected and a reaction to it. „Überraschen“ emphasizes that an event causes surprise in someone. „Sich wundern“ describes the person's own surprise instead. Use „überraschen“ for the trigger and „sich wundern“ for the reaction.
Ich wunderte mich sehr über die unerwartete Nachricht.
I was very surprised by the unexpected news.
Die unerwartete Nachricht überraschte mich sehr.
The unexpected news surprised me greatly.
