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Der Mann am Marktstand betont für Otti jede Silbe ganz deutlich. The man at the market stall stresses every syllable very clearly for Otti.

verb · B2

betonen

[bəˈtoːnən]

to stress, to emphasise

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Other Examples

  • Ich betone das Wort falsch, und plötzlich versteht mich niemand.

    I put the stress in the wrong place, and suddenly nobody understands me.

  • Du betonst „Berlin“ auf der ersten Silbe, das klingt lustig.

    You stress "Berlin" on the first syllable; it sounds funny.

  • Im Kurs betonen wir neue Wörter extra laut und übertrieben.

    In class we stress new words extra loudly and exaggeratedly.

  • Ihr betont immer, dass Berlinerisch gar kein richtiger Dialekt sei.

    You always stress that Berlinish isn't a real dialect at all.

  • Frau Hilde, Sie betonen das Wort ganz anders als mein Lehrer.

    Frau Hilde, you stress that word quite differently from my teacher.

Grammar

Present
er/sie/es betont What happens now or usually.
Simple past (Präteritum)
er/sie/es betonte The past in stories and in writing; in speech mostly with sein, haben and the modal verbs.
Perfect (Perfekt)
er/sie/es hat betont 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 betonebetontehabe betont
du betonstbetontesthast betont
er/sie/es betontbetontehat betont
wir betonenbetontenhaben betont
ihr betontbetontethabt betont
sie/Sie betonenbetontenhaben betont
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 betontwerde betonenwerde betont haben
du hattest betontwirst betonenwirst betont haben
er/sie/es hatte betontwird betonenwird betont haben
wir hatten betontwerden betonenwerden betont haben
ihr hattet betontwerdet betonenwerdet betont haben
sie/Sie hatten betontwerden betonenwerden betont 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 betonte
du betontest
er/sie/es betonte
wir betonten
ihr betontet
sie/Sie betonten
Konjunktiv II
Wishes, polite requests and what isn't real.

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

Person Imperativ
du beton!
ihr betont!
Sie betonen Sie!
Imperativ
Requests and instructions to du, ihr and Sie.

How the Word Is Built

be prefix ton 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

die Betonungder Tonunbetont

In Otti's situations: Otti and the dialects

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