Beziehen

Beziehen is a German verb with several related meanings that share a core idea of bringing something into relation with something else. It can express obtaining or deriving, moving into a dwelling, covering or upholstering, or referring to something. The verb forms a few common phrases and is often used with reflexive or dependent constructions.

Main senses and typical usages:

- Obtain or derive: beziehen means to derive income, benefits, or information from a source. Examples: "Sie bezieht ihr Einkommen aus einer Anstellung." "Renten lassen sich beziehen." "Informationen beziehen aus einer Quelle" or "aus dem Bericht Bezug nehmen auf eine Studie." The noun Bezüge can refer to payments or income streams, as in pension Bezüge.

- Move into a dwelling: bezeichnen to move in, reside in a place. Example: "Wir haben eine neue Wohnung bezogen." Here beziehen is used with a direct object and the past participle bezogen.

- Upholster or cover: beziehen can mean to upholster or to cover with fabric. Example: "Die Couch wurde neu bezogen." The noun Bezug denotes a cover or upholstery, as in "Kissenbezug" (pillowcase).

- Refer to or relate to: sich beziehen auf or Bezug nehmen auf means to refer to or cite. Example: "In seinem Bericht bezieht er sich auf eine Studie." The phrase "in Bezug auf" is common in formal context, meaning “with regard to.”

Grammatical notes:

- Beziehen tends to be used with nicht-separable prefix be-, and the past participle is bezogen (hat/begezogen in various constructions).

- Sich beziehen is a separate, reflexive usage meaning to refer to something, with forms like ich beziehe mich, du beziehst dich, er bezieht sich.

In sum, beziehen covers several practical usages in daily and formal German, from finances and housing to upholstery and textual reference.