What does it mean word for word?
The verb begleiten means to accompany or to go along with. While it is composed of the prefix be- and the verb gleiten (to glide or slide), in modern German it functions as a single unit.
Which one should you use?
ich begleite dich implies a sense of escorting or going along with someone, making it more formal than the colloquial expression ich komme mit (I'm coming along).
How does it change in a sentence?
In German, the present tense ich begleite dich is commonly used to express a future intention, much like the English "I will accompany you". When addressing someone in a formal setting or someone you do not know well, use the formal Sie instead of dich, such as in ich begleite Sie. If you are accompanying a group of people, the object changes to euch, resulting in ich begleite euch.
Did you know?
- The word ich can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European form *eǵh₂óm, which is a distant ancestor shared by many other languages.
- In German, the word begleiten can describe a smell, a sound or a feeling that stays with a person. It is used to say that a certain emotion accompanies a memory.
- The verb begleiten is also used in music to describe playing an accompaniment for a singer or soloist.
Examples in context
- Ja, klar! Ich begleite dich gerne.Yes, sure! I'd love to accompany you.
- Ja, selbstverständlich werde ich Sie begleiten.Yes, of course I will accompany you.
- Ich begleite dich bis zur Bahnstation.I will accompany you to the train station.
- Keine Sorge, ich begleite dich nach Hause.Don't worry, I will accompany you home.
- Ich begleite dich gerne zum Supermarkt.I'll gladly accompany you to the supermarket.
Example conversation
Felix and Julia are standing outside a cafe in the evening.
- FelixEs ist schon spät, Julia.It is already late, Julia.
- JuliaJa, ich muss jetzt gehen.Yes, I have to go now.
- FelixIch begleite dich zur Haltestelle.I will accompany you to the stop.
- JuliaDas ist sehr lieb von dir, Felix.That is very kind of you, Felix.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dich, ich, CC BY-SA 4.0.
