vor|täuschen
Translation
to feign, to pretend, to fake, to simulate
Examples
Er täuschte eine Krankheit vor, um nicht zu arbeiten.
He faked an illness in order not to work.
Sie täuschte nur Interesse vor.
She only feigned interest.
Grammar Patterns
((et4)) vortäuschen to feign/fake sth. He faked an illness.
vortäuschen, ((dass ...)) to pretend that ... She pretended that she had understood everything.
Similar Words
Synonyms: vorgeben, heucheln, simulieren
Etymology
Separable verb: 'vor' (in front of) + 'täuschen' (to deceive). Literally, to deceive by putting something forward as true.
Memory Tips
Think of it as putting a 'deception' ('täuschen') out 'in front' ('vor') for everyone to see, hiding the truth.