to tear apart / rip apart
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to tear apart
To violently divide something into pieces by pulling hard. This often happens with materials such as paper, fabric, or photos.
Aus Wut zerriss er den Brief, ohne ihn zu Ende zu lesen.
Out of anger, he tore the letter apart without reading it to the end.
The verb consists of the prefix 'zer-' and the verb 'reißen' (to tear). The prefix 'zer-' means 'broken' or 'into pieces', so 'zerreißen' (to tear apart) describes destruction by tearing.
Er hat das alte T-Shirt beim Sport zerrissen.
He tore the old T-shirt during sports.
'Zerreißen' (to tear apart) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'zer-' remains firmly attached to the verb in all tenses and sentence constructions.
Sie zerreißt den Werbeprospekt und wirft ihn weg.
She tears up the advertising brochure and throws it away.
In the literal meaning, 'zerreißen' (to tear apart) is usually used with flat, thin materials. Typical objects are 'Papier' (paper), 'ein Brief' (a letter), 'ein Foto' (a photo), or 'Stoff' (fabric).
Das Kind hat aus Versehen das Buch zerrissen.
The child accidentally tore the book.
In this figurative meaning, the subjects are often 'Kritiker' (critics) or 'die Presse' (the press). The objects are usually artistic works such as 'ein Film' (a film), 'ein Buch' (a book), or also public figures.
Die Presse hat den neuen Roman des Autors zerrissen.
The press tore the author's new novel apart.
In the meaning 'innerlich gespalten' (internally divided), the past participle 'zerrissen' (torn) is often used like an adjective. It then frequently appears with the verbs 'sein' (to be) or 'sich fühlen' (to feel) and the preposition 'zwischen' (between).
Er ist innerlich zerrissen zwischen seiner Pflicht und seinen Wünschen.
He is internally torn between his duty and his wishes.
In the meaning 'sich aufopfern' (to sacrifice oneself), the verb is always used reflexively. The reflexive pronoun ('sich') is therefore a fixed part of the construction.
Sie zerreißt sich für ihre Kinder, damit es ihnen an nichts fehlt.
She sacrifices herself for her children so that they lack nothing.
to criticize
'kritisieren' and 'zerreißen' can both mean that you judge something negatively. 'kritisieren' is the normal, broad word. The criticism can be mild, factual, or also strict. 'zerreißen' is much stronger and figurative: someone makes something sound almost completely bad in a review or critique. You often hear this with films, books, plays, or public performances. If you only want to say that someone points out mistakes, 'kritisieren' fits. If the criticism is very harsh and devastating, 'zerreißen' fits.
Die Zeitung zerreißt den neuen Film, weil sie ihn langweilig und schlecht gespielt findet.
The newspaper tears the new film apart because it finds it boring and badly acted.
Nach der Präsentation kritisierte Omar vor allem die unklare Struktur.
After the presentation, Omar mainly criticized the unclear structure.