verziehen
Translation
to spoil, to distort, to move away, to forgive
Examples
Die Großeltern verziehen das Kind.
The grandparents spoil the child.
Er verzog das Gesicht vor Schmerz.
He contorted his face in pain.
Sie sind nach Berlin verzogen.
They have moved to Berlin.
Grammar Patterns
((sb.)) to spoil sb. He has totally spoiled his children.
das Gesicht verziehen to contort one's face She contorted her face in disgust.
((sein)) ((to...)) to move (away) My neighbors have moved away to an unknown location.
Similar Words
Etymology
From 'ver-' (away, wrongly) + 'ziehen' (to pull). 'Pulling wrongly' leads to spoiling a child. 'Pulling one's face' means to distort it. 'Pulling away' means to move.
Memory Tips
Connect 'ver-' with a sense of misdirection or removal. Misdirecting a child's upbringing is spoiling them. Removing yourself from a place is moving away.