verb
to describe, to depict
A2
'beschreiben': verb meaning to describe or depict. Non‑reflexive, not separable. Auxiliary: haben (perfekt: hat beschrieben). Strong/irregular verb with stem change: Präsens beschreibe, Präteritum beschrieb, Partizip beschrieben. Commonly used transitively (jemand beschreibt etwas). Passive possible (wird beschrieben). Not reflexive; no special preposition. Formal and everyday use.
Examples
Ich habe den Weg beschrieben.
I described the route.
Der Roman beschreibt das Leben im 19. Jahrhundert sehr anschaulich.
The novel vividly depicts life in the 19th century.
Kannst du mir das Bild beschreiben?
Can you describe the picture for me?
Details
Mnemonics
Imagine someone circling details of a photo and writing notes — you are 'beschreiben' the picture.
Think 'be-scribe' — like 'scribe' (write) with a 'be' prefix: to give a written or spoken account.
Notes
beschreiben is an inseparable-prefix verb (be-). It takes a direct object (Akkusativ) — jemand/etwas beschreiben. Past participle: beschrieben. Commonly used in contexts like describing people, scenes, events, or texts.