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bemühen: make an effort — meaning and examples | JadoLearn

Quality-approved learning entryVerbLevel B1

bemühen

make an effort

to make an effort to do or achieve something

IPA/bəˈmyːən/

The second syllable carries the main stress.

Meaning 1neutral · 90%

to make an effort to do or achieve something

Ich bemühe mich, jeden Tag Deutsch zu sprechen.

Sie bemüht sich um eine neue Stelle.

Wir haben uns um eine schnelle Lösung bemüht.

The reflexive pronoun is accusative; um takes accusative.

sich um etwas bemühen — make an effort to obtain something

Ich bemühe mir um eine Lösung.

Ich bemühe mich um eine Lösung.

The reflexive pronoun is accusative: mich.

Use sich bemühen for actively trying to achieve something.

Choose one answer.

Which sentence is correct?

infinitive: bemühen
third person present: bemüht
preterite: bemühte
Past participle: bemüht
auxiliary: haben
Separable: No
prefix: —
reflexive: Yes
modal: No
imperative du: bemühe dich
imperative ihr: bemüht euch
imperative sie: bemühen Sie sich
Transitivity: intransitive
valency patterns: sich (Akk.) bemühen · sich (Akk.) um + Akk. bemühen · sich (Akk.) bemühen, zu + Infinitiv

The source gives bemühen (sich) with the meaning make an effort. In this sense it is reflexive.