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ermahnen

to admonish, to give a warning, to urge earnestly

verb er-MAH-nen Rare
Communication Speech

Usage Note

ermahnen means to admonish someone — giving a firm but not yet punitive verbal warning. A teacher ermahnt a disruptive pupil; a court ermahnt a witness. It is milder than rügen (to rebuke officially) but more serious than hinweisen (to point out).

Examples

"Die Lehrerin ermahnte die Klasse, während der Prüfung ruhig zu bleiben."

Natural Translation

The teacher admonished the class to stay quiet during the exam.

Literal Translation

The teacher admonished the class, during the exam quiet to remain.

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