to tremble
Loading your saved state.
to tremble
To move quickly back and forth involuntarily; to shake, usually because of cold, fear, excitement, or weakness.
Nach dem Bad im eiskalten See zitterte er am ganzen Körper.
After swimming in the ice-cold lake, he was trembling all over.
to tremble before
To be very afraid or worried about someone or something.
Die Schüler zitterten vor der strengen Mathematiklehrerin.
The students trembled before the strict math teacher.
to tremble
Referring to the voice: to sound shaky or uncertain, usually because of strong emotions.
Mit zitternder Stimme hielt er die Abschiedsrede.
He gave the farewell speech in a trembling voice.
The cause of the trembling is almost always expressed with the preposition 'vor' and the dative. This applies both to physical reactions and to fear.
Das Kind zitterte vor Kälte.
The child was trembling from the cold.
When referring to physical trembling, typical causes are 'Kälte' (cold), 'Fieber' (fever), 'Aufregung' (excitement), or 'Anstrengung' (exertion). You can also say that a body part is trembling, e.g. 'die Hände zittern' (the hands are trembling).
Ihre Hände zitterten vor Aufregung, als sie den Brief öffnete.
Her hands were trembling with excitement as she opened the letter.
When you 'vor jemandem zittern' (tremble before someone), it means that you are very afraid of that person. It is a metaphorical use and does not necessarily describe physical shaking.
Alle Mitarbeiter zitterten vor dem neuen Chef.
All the employees trembled before the new boss.
To describe a trembling voice, the present participle is very often used as an adjective: 'mit zitternder Stimme' (in a trembling voice). This is a fixed and very common expression.
Er gestand seine Fehler mit zitternder Stimme.
He confessed his mistakes in a trembling voice.
to fear
Sich vor jemandem oder etwas fürchten expresses fear directly, without saying anything about its intensity. Vor jemandem oder etwas zittern is a figurative, particularly intense expression. Zittern is therefore suitable when the great intensity of the fear is meant to be emphasized.
Das Kind zittert vor dem aggressiv knurrenden Hund am Gartentor.
The child is trembling in fear of the aggressively growling dog at the garden gate.
Das Kind fürchtet sich vor dem großen Hund am Gartentor.
The child is afraid of the big dog at the garden gate.
