Vorschieben

Vorschieben is a German verb formed with the separable prefix vor- and the verb schieben. It has both a literal, physical sense of moving something forward and a figurative sense of presenting or advancing something for consideration, justification, or discussion. The prefix vor- signals forward motion or a forward proposal, and the word is often used in contexts where a claim, reason, or obstacle is put forward for scrutiny.

In the physical sense, vorshieben describes pushing an object forward or toward a direction. For example, one might schieben den Wagen vor das Haus (push the cart in front of the house) or schieben einen Stuhl näher an den Tisch (push a chair closer to the table). The action implies a gradual, controlled movement in space.

In the figurative sense, vorschieben means to present or advance something as a reason, justification, motive, or pretext. Common constructions include etwas als Begründung oder als Vorwand vorschieben, oder etwas als Beleg vorbringen. For instance, der Angeklagte schob seine Abwesenheit als Vorwand vor (the defendant presented his absence as a pretext) or er schob neue Beweise als Beleg vor (he advanced new evidence as proof). The verb is frequently used in legal, political, and administrative discourse to indicate that a position or claim is being offered for consideration.

Grammatically, vorschieben is separable: in present tense, it forms with schiebt vor (er schiebt vor), past tense with schob vor, and the past participle is vorgeschoben. Related verbs include vorlegen, anführen and vorbringen, which convey similar notions of presenting or proposing.