betragen

Betragen is a German verb with two main meanings. The primary sense is “to amount to” or “to total,” used to express the size or value of something, especially sums of money, quantities, or percentages. It is used with a subject that denotes the amount; for example: Die Kosten betragen 1.000 Euro or Die Zinsen betragen fünf Prozent. In this sense the verb functions like a predicate describing the total and does not take a direct object.

A second, older or literary sense of betragen is “to behave (oneself).” The reflexive form sich betragen is now rare in everyday language, and speakers normally use benehmen or sich verhalten instead. An example of the archaic usage is: Er hat sich schlecht betragen, though this sounds formal or dated.

Etymology and form: betrage from be- + tragen (to bear, carry). The prefix be- adds a sense of completion or involvement, and the verb has developed a specialized meaning in arithmetic and finance as well as a separate, now uncommon sense related to conduct.

Usage notes: betragen is most common in formal, written, or financial contexts, such as official reports, contracts, and news communications. In ordinary speech, the sense “to behave” is largely replaced by benehmen or verhalten.

See also: benehmen, verhalten, tragen, Betriebskosten, Zinsen.

This article provides a concise overview of betragen, its primary usage for totals and its historical sense of conduct, with notes on style and etymology.