erschweren
Translation
to make more difficult, to complicate, to aggravate
Examples
Der Nebel erschwert die Sicht.
The fog makes visibility difficult.
Das erschwert die Situation erheblich.
That complicates the situation considerably.
Er wollte mir die Arbeit erschweren.
He wanted to make the work more difficult for me.
Grammar Patterns
((sth.)) to make sth. more difficult The bad weather erschwerte the journey.
((sb.)) ((sth.)) to make sth. more difficult for sb. He made the task more difficult for me.
Similar Words
komplizieren (to complicate), behindern (to hinder); Antonyms: erleichtern (to make easier)
Etymology
From 'er-' (prefix indicating a change of state) + 'schwer' (heavy, difficult). Literally 'to make heavy/difficult'.
Memory Tips
Think of adding weight ('schwer') to a task, thus 'er-' (making it) more difficult. Its opposite is 'erleichtern' (to make light/easy).