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Eine Katze bedroht die jungen Amseln im Nest. A cat is threatening the young blackbirds in the nest.

verb · B2

bedrohen

[bəˈdʁoːən]

to threaten, to endanger

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Other Examples

Grammar

Present
er/sie/es bedroht What happens now or usually.
Simple past (Präteritum)
er/sie/es bedrohte The past in stories and in writing; in speech mostly with sein, haben and the modal verbs.
Perfect (Perfekt)
er/sie/es hat bedroht The past in conversation. Verbs of movement or change take "ist", most others "hat".

Conjugation

The verb in every person; under each table, when German uses it.

Indikativ
Person Präsens Präteritum Perfekt
ich bedrohebedrohtehabe bedroht
du bedrohstbedrohtesthast bedroht
er/sie/es bedrohtbedrohtehat bedroht
wir bedrohenbedrohtenhaben bedroht
ihr bedrohtbedrohtethabt bedroht
sie/Sie bedrohenbedrohtenhaben bedroht
Präsens
What happens now or usually; with a time word also the future.
Präteritum
The past in stories and in writing; in speech mostly with sein, haben and the modal verbs.
Perfekt
The past in conversation.
More Tenses and Moods
Indikativ
Person Plusquamperfekt Futur I Futur II
ich hatte bedrohtwerde bedrohenwerde bedroht haben
du hattest bedrohtwirst bedrohenwirst bedroht haben
er/sie/es hatte bedrohtwird bedrohenwird bedroht haben
wir hatten bedrohtwerden bedrohenwerden bedroht haben
ihr hattet bedrohtwerdet bedrohenwerdet bedroht haben
sie/Sie hatten bedrohtwerden bedrohenwerden bedroht haben
Plusquamperfekt
What had happened before another moment in the past.
Futur I
Plans, promises and guesses about the future; often the Präsens is enough.
Futur II
What will be finished by a moment in the future, or a guess about the past.
Person Konjunktiv II
ich bedrohte
du bedrohtest
er/sie/es bedrohte
wir bedrohten
ihr bedrohtet
sie/Sie bedrohten
Konjunktiv II
Wishes, polite requests and what isn't real.

The same as the Präteritum, so German mostly says "würde" + infinitive instead: ich würde bedrohen.

Person Imperativ
du bedroh!
ihr bedroht!
Sie bedrohen Sie!
Imperativ
Requests and instructions to du, ihr and Sie.

How the Word Is Built

be prefix droh root en ending

be-
makes a verb take a direct object: zahlen (to pay) → die Rechnung bezahlen (to pay the bill).
-en
the ending of the infinitive, the form of a verb in the dictionary.

Word family

drohendie Bedrohungdie Drohung

In Otti's situations: Kalle counts birds for science

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