Beenden

Beenden is a German verb meaning to end, finish, terminate, or conclude. It is a transitive verb used with a direct object, for example: Wir beenden die Sitzung jetzt. It can refer to finishing a task, closing a program, terminating a contract, or ending a relationship. In computing or administration, it is common to speak of terminating a connection or process, as in Die Verbindung wird beendet.

The verb is formed with the inseparable prefix be- added to the verb enden. It is a regular (weak) verb and follows the standard conjugation pattern. Present tense forms include ich beende, du beendest, er beendet; wir beenden, ihr beendet, sie beenden. The Präteritum (simple past) is beendete for the first and third person singular, beendetest for you (du), and beendeten for the others. The perfect tense is formed with the auxiliary haben: ich habe beendet, du hast beendet, wir haben beendet, etc.

Usage notes: beenden emphasizes completion or finalization rather than a mere interruption. It contrasts with abbrechen (to abort or cancel), and with fortsetzen (to continue). The passive voice is common: Die Sitzung wird beendet or Die Sitzung wurde beendet.

Nouns and related terms: Beendigung is the noun for termination or completion. Related verbs include enden (to end, intransitive) and abschließen (to close or finalize, often in the sense of completing a contract or agreement).

Examples: Wir müssen die Sitzung beenden. Der Vertrag wurde beendet. Sie beendete die Beziehung. Das Programm wird beendet, wenn der Akku leer ist.