German word

besinnen

Pronunciation

IPA/bəˈzɪnən/

Meaning

  • verbthink carefully

Example

Er besann sich lange, bevor er antwortete.

He thought carefully for a long time before he answered.

Illustration for besinnen (think carefully)

More examples

Nach dem Streit besann sie sich auf das Wesentliche und entschuldigte sich.

After the argument, she reflected on what was essential and apologized.

Core concept

A mental pause lets a forgotten detail return while thoughts become clear enough for a careful answer.

Common phrases

  • sich besinnen auf das Wesentliche

    reflect on what is essential

Similar words

nachdenken: Sustained thought focused on understanding a particular matter.
sich erinnern: Recovery of a past event or piece of information from memory.
reflektieren: Consideration of experiences or actions to draw meaning or lessons from them.
überlegen: Weighing options and possible outcomes before deciding what to do.

Definition in German

Bewusst über etwas überlegen; oft reflexiv gebraucht (sich besinnen).

Word origin

Besinnen combines be- with the inherited Germanic verb sinnen, meaning to think or reflect, while modern reflexive usage extends this inward activity to recalling and collecting oneself.

Usage tips

  • For the sense of recalling something, sich auf etwas besinnen takes auf with the accusative, as in Sie besann sich auf seinen Namen.

Other meanings

  • rememberverb
  • compose oneselfverb

Opposites

Related words

  • Besinnungreflectionnoun
  • besonnenlevel-headedadjective

Word lists with this word