verb
to justify
A2
'Begründen' means to justify, explain or give reasons for a claim or decision. Common use: man begründet etwas (transitive, takes an object, Akk.). It uses haben (Perfekt: begründet). Regular (weak) verb, non‑reflexive and not separable. Often appears in arguments, reports or formal explanations.
Examples
Er konnte seine Entscheidung nicht gut begründen.
He couldn't really justify his decision.
Er hat seine Abwesenheit begründet.
He explained the reason for his absence.
Der Anwalt begründete seinen Einspruch, weil neue Beweise vorgelegt worden waren.
The lawyer gave a reason for his objection because new evidence had been presented.
Details
Mnemonics
Picture a person placing a reason on a desk and stamping it with a big 'JUSTIFIED' stamp.
Sounds a bit like 'be green den' — imagine giving a 'green' reason (a good/justified reason).
Notes
Common in formal and written contexts when giving reasons or legal justification. Note: Conjugation values do not include personal pronouns. The formal imperative (Sie) necessarily requires the pronoun 'Sie' in German, but pronouns are not allowed in these conjugation values, so the 'Sie' imperative is marked as 'not applicable'. Also: Konjunktiv I in the simple past (Präteritum) is not standard and has been marked as 'not applicable' where present.