to look back
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to look back
To mentally engage with the past; to think about past events or periods of time.
Am Ende des Jahres blicken viele Menschen auf die vergangenen Monate zurück.
At the end of the year, many people look back on the past months.
to look back
To physically turn around in order to look at something or someone behind you.
Er ging weg, ohne ein einziges Mal zurückzublicken.
He walked away without looking back even once.
'Zurückblicken' (to look back) is a separable verb. The prefix 'zurück-' comes at the end in a main clause, the verb stays together in a subordinate clause, and in the infinitive with 'zu', 'zu' goes in the middle.
Oft blicke ich auf meine Schulzeit zurück.
I often look back on my school days.
Although 'blicken' describes a kind of movement, the perfect tense of 'zurückblicken' (to look back) is always formed with the auxiliary verb 'haben' (to have).
Er hat nur einmal kurz zurückgeblickt.
He looked back briefly only once.
The figurative meaning (thinking about the past) is almost always used with the preposition 'auf' and an accusative object. The literal meaning (turning around) often appears without a preposition.
Sie blickte auf eine erfolgreiche Karriere zurück.
She looked back on a successful career.
In the figurative meaning, people often look back on periods of time or phases of life. Typical combinations are 'auf das Leben' (on life), 'auf die Kindheit' (on childhood), or 'auf ein Jahr zurückblicken' (to look back on a year).
Mein Großvater blickt oft auf sein langes Leben zurück.
My grandfather often looks back on his long life.
In the literal meaning, the phrase 'ohne zurückzublicken' (without looking back) is a very common fixed expression. It expresses determination or the final act of leaving a place.
Er verließ das Haus und ging weg, ohne zurückzublicken.
He left the house and walked away without looking back.
to reflect / to recall
Both words can refer to the past. „Sich besinnen auf“ mainly means bringing a memory back to mind. „Zurückblicken“, on the other hand, emphasizes consciously looking at earlier events or a period of the past. For simply remembering something, „sich besinnen“ is therefore more appropriate.
Am Ende des Jahres blickte sie auf die gemeinsamen Erlebnisse zurück.
At the end of the year, she looked back on the experiences they had shared.
Am Ende des Gesprächs besann sie sich auf die gemeinsamen Erlebnisse.
At the end of the conversation, she recalled the experiences they had shared.
