beruhigen
Translation
to calm down, to soothe, to reassure
Examples
Die Mutter beruhigt das weinende Kind.
The mother calms the crying child.
Beruhige dich! Es ist alles in Ordnung.
Calm down! Everything is okay.
Die Situation hat sich langsam beruhigt.
The situation has slowly calmed down.
Grammar Patterns
((sb.acc)) beruhigen to calm sb. down Der Arzt beruhigt den Patienten.
sich⁴ beruhigen to calm oneself down Beruhigen Sie sich bitte!
Similar Words
besänftigen (to appease), trösten (to comfort); Antonyms: aufregen (to excite), beunruhigen (to worry)
Etymology
From the prefix 'be-' (which can make a verb transitive) and the adjective 'ruhig' (calm, quiet). Literally 'to make calm'.
Memory Tips
Think of making someone or something 'ruhig' (calm). The 'be-' prefix indicates the action of doing so. For calming yourself, use the reflexive 'sich beruhigen'.