How to say "surrender" in German
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In order to express ceasing resistance to an opponent or enemy, Germans use “(sich) ergeben”, and to express quitting or abandoning something the word is “aufgeben”:
– “Er hat sich der Polizei ergeben.” – “He surrendered to the police.”
– “Ergeben Sie sich!” / “Ergib dich!” – “Surrender (yourself)!”
– “Er hat den Kampf aufgegeben.” – “He gave up the fight.”
– “Du musst das Rauchen aufgeben!” – “You have to quit smoking.”
– “Wir haben die Hoffnung aufgegeben.” – “We gave up hope.”
The word “(sich) ergeben” can also mean “to dedicate (oneself)”, or “to devote (oneself)”:
– “Er hat sich völlig seiner Arbeit ergeben.” – “He entirely devoted himself to his work.”
Without “sich”, the word “ergeben” means “result in”:
– “Es ergab Chaos.” – “It resulted in chaos.”
The word “aufgeben” can also be used to assign a task:
– “Der Lehrer hat mir zu viele Hausaufgaben aufgegeben.” – “The teacher gave me too much homework.”
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