Before you start
Meet ablehnen
Read how the verb is used, then write your own 10 sentences with it.
Meaning
- (transitive) to decline, refuse, reject, turn down
Build the meaning
ab- + lehnen
- ab-
- away from
- lehnen
- to lean
You lean away from an offer rather than toward accepting it.
So ablehnen means to refuse, reject, or turn down.
A memory aid, not a rule: prefixes change meaning from verb to verb.
Learning approach inspired by this explanation in r/German.
Separable verb: ab·lehnen
In a main clause the prefix ab splits off and goes to the end. After weil, dass and other subordinating words, the verb stays in one piece at the end.
Main clauseWir lehnen den Kuchen ab.We turn down the cake.
Subordinate clauseIch weiß, dass sie den Kaffee ablehnt.I know that she turns down the coffee.
Participle: abgelehntzu-infinitive: abzulehnen
Forms
How ablehnen changes
| Pronoun | Präsens | Präteritum |
|---|---|---|
| ich | lehne ab | lehnte ab |
| du | lehnst ab | lehntest ab |
| er/sie/es | lehnt ab | lehnte ab |
| wir | lehnen ab | lehnten ab |
| ihr | lehnt ab | lehntet ab |
| Sie | lehnen ab | lehnten ab |
Partizip II abgelehnt · Perfekt with haben
Three examples
- 1Ich lehne den Tee ab.I turn down the tea.present, prefix at the end
- 2Sie hat meine Hilfe abgelehnt.She turned down my help.Perfekt with haben
- 3Er sagt, dass er die Einladung ablehnt.He says that he is turning down the invitation.verb at the end after dass