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erbauen

build

verb er-BOW-en Less Common
Home & Lifestyle Construction

Also means

construct

Usage Note

erbauen is a more formal, literary cousin of bauen ('to build') and is typical of describing historic edifices: die im 12. Jahrhundert erbaute Kirche. Reflexively, sich an etwas erbauen means 'to be edified or uplifted by something'. The er- prefix is inseparable.

Examples

"Die Kathedrale wurde im Mittelalter erbaut."

Natural Translation

The cathedral was built in the Middle Ages.

Literal Translation

The cathedral was in-the Middle-Ages built.

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