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abschweifen

to digress

verb AHP-shvai-fen Less Common
Communication Speech

Also means

to wander off topic

Usage Note

abschweifen means to stray from the subject when speaking: vom Thema abschweifen. It is separable (schweift ab) and uses sein as auxiliary. The noun Abschweifung names a digression. Use it for ramblers who lose the thread of an argument.

Examples

"Entschuldige, ich bin vom Thema abgeschweift."

Natural Translation

Sorry, I've digressed from the topic.

Literal Translation

Excuse, I am from-the topic digressed.

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