aufarbeiten
refurbish · work through
Etwas aus der Vergangenheit gründlich klären oder erledigen, damit es verstanden oder abgeschlossen werden kann.
The German word "aufarbeiten" is a separable verb meaning "to work through", "to process", or "to revise".
- It is made up of:
- "auf" (a prefix generally meaning "up" or indicating completion)
- "arbeiten" meaning "to work"
"Aufarbeiten" often refers to dealing thoroughly with something, such as processing data, reviewing experiences, or coming to terms with the past (e.g., "die Vergangenheit aufarbeiten" - to come to terms with the past).
Similar words:
- Bearbeiten (to edit/process)
- Verarbeiten (to process/cope with)
- Revidieren (to revise)
Difference:
- "Bearbeiten" is more general, used for any kind of working on something.
- "Verarbeiten" has a connotation of processing/internalizing (often emotionally).
- "Aufarbeiten" emphasizes completing or thoroughly dealing with something, often a complex or difficult issue.
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Examples
Wir arbeiten die alten Möbel auf.verb
We are refurbishing the old furniture.
Viele Firmen möchten heutzutage alte Materialien aufarbeiten.verb
Many companies want to refurbish old materials nowadays.
Mitarbeiter arbeiten schwierige Erfahrungen aus der Vergangenheit oft gemeinsam auf.verb
Employees often work through difficult experiences from the past together.
Warum arbeitest du die offenen Fragen erst jetzt auf?verb
Why are you only now working through the open questions?
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