Vorgehalten

Vorgehalten is the past participle of the German separable verb vorhalten. The basic sense is to hold something before someone, either literally or figuratively. In everyday language it most commonly means to reproach someone by bringing up a fault, mistake, or past action: “Sie hielt ihm vor, er habe die Vereinbarung verletzt.” The expression often carries a sense of accusation or reminder of past conduct and is common in both spoken and written German.

Another common use of vorhalten is to present an argument, objection, or piece of evidence for consideration in a discussion: “Der Gegner hielt dem Präsidenten ein Gegenargument vor.” In this sense it functions similarly to vorlegen, but with an emphasis on using the item against the other person rather than simply offering it.

Morphology and usage: vorhalten is separable; in finite tenses the prefix is split (Ich halte dir das vor). In the perfect tense the past participle is vorgehalten (Ich habe dir das vorgehalten). The noun form corresponding to the action is der Vorhalt (reproach, objection). Phrases include „einen Vorhalt machen“ or „jemandem einen Vorhalt machen.“

Origin: The compound comes from vor- (before) and halten (to hold). The figurative sense of presenting something in front of someone evolved into the common idiom of reproaching or presenting an argument as a challenge.