Skip to content

beschwören

to implore, to beseech

verb ZELPST-ue-ber-shets-ung Rare

Also means

to invoke, to conjure

Usage Note

Beschwören in the communicative sense means to implore someone urgently and emotionally; er beschwor sie zu bleiben conveys deep, almost desperate pleading. The conjuring sense is also common in literary contexts.

Examples

"Sie beschwor ihn, die Wahrheit zu sagen."

Natural Translation

She implored him to tell the truth.

Literal Translation

She implored him the truth to say.

Free starter pack

Building your German vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common German words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore German by topic