to tremble
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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.
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 shake
'schütteln' and 'zittern' can both describe a quick movement of the body. The difference lies in the focus: 'zittern' usually happens involuntarily and is often slight and fast, for example because of cold, fear, or excitement. 'sich schütteln' sounds stronger and tends to describe a short movement of the whole body, for example after getting wet or out of disgust. They can be confused because both are not always controlled. If your hands are shaking slightly from nervousness, 'zittern' fits better; if the whole body is moving forcefully, 'sich schütteln' is more likely to fit.
Vor der Prüfung zittern meine Hände ein wenig.
Before the exam, my hands tremble a little.
Der Hund schüttelt sich, weil sein Fell ganz nass ist.
The dog shakes itself because its fur is completely wet.