bedanke

Bedanke is a German verb that means to express thanks or gratitude. It is typically used in reflexive constructions, as sich bedanken, and is most commonly seen in phrases like sich bei jemandem für etwas bedanken, meaning to thank someone for something. The action centers on offering appreciation or acknowledgement.

Etymology and use: Bedanken derives from the verb danken (to thank) with the prefix be-, which in this sense forms a related verb meaning to express thanks. The reflexive form emphasizes the speaker’s own act of gratitude. In practice, speakers often pair bedanken with prepositional phrases indicating the beneficiary (bei) and the reason (für).

Conjugation and examples: In the present tense, the forms are: ich bedanke mich, du bedankst dich, er bedankt sich, wir bedanken uns, ihr bedankt euch, sie bedanken sich. The reflexive pronoun can be omitted in some fixed expressions, but the standard construction uses sich or mich/sich depending on the subject. The perfect tense is formed with haben: ich habe mich bedankt. Typical uses include: Ich bedanke mich herzlich bei Ihnen für Ihre Unterstützung. Wir möchten uns bei allen Beteiligten bedanken.

Notes: Bedanken is formal and polite; in everyday speech, a simpler Danke sagen is common. Danken is related but used without the reflexive pronoun and often without the bei/für construction, e.g., Ich danke dir. The noun form for the act of expressing gratitude is die Danksagung or das Dankeschön as common alternatives.

See also: danken, Danksagung, Dankeschön.