verb

verantworten

account · justify · be responsible for · answer for

Etwas erklären oder begründen müssen, oft weil man dafür die Pflicht oder Schuld trägt.

Definition & meaning

The verb verantworten primarily means to be responsible for an action, a decision, or a situation. It implies that a person is willing or required to take the consequences and provide a justification for what has occurred.

There are two main ways this word is used:

Transitive use: To take responsibility for something. For example, a manager might have to answer for a mistake made by their team. It conveys the idea of being the person "in charge" who must justify the outcome.
Reflexive use (sich verantworten): To justify oneself or to defend one's actions. This is often used in a legal or formal context, such as a defendant having to justify their behavior before a court of law.

Grammar & Word origin

Grammatically, verantworten is a weak verb. Its principal parts are:

Präsens: verantwortet
Präteritum: verantwortete
Perfekt: hat verantwortet

The word is a derivative of the verb antworten, which means "to answer." The prefix ver- is used here to transform the simple act of answering into a formal or definitive responsibility. Historically, it stems from the legal concept of providing a formal "answer" to a charge or accusation.