schäme

Schämen is a German verb meaning to feel shame or to be ashamed. In standard usage it is reflexive, formed with the pronoun sich: ich schäme mich, du schämst dich, er schämt sich, wir schämen uns, ihr schämt euch, sie schämen sich. The imperative forms are Schäme dich! and Schämen Sie sich!

Usage and meaning

Schämen expresses moral self-reproach or embarrassment about one’s own actions or about someone else’s behavior in appropriate contexts. Examples: Ich schäme mich für mein Verhalten. Du sollst dich schämen. Er schämt sich vor dem Lehrer. It can take prepositional complements such as für or wegen: Ich schäme mich für mein Verhalten; Er schämt sich wegen seines Fehlverhaltens. The phrase sich schämen kann also be used with expressions like vor jemandem or vor allen, to indicate embarrassment in someone’s presence or publicly.

Etymology and related terms

Schämen derives from Old High German scāman and is cognate with English shame and Dutch schamen. The related noun Scham denotes the feeling of shame, while Schamgefühl refers to the sense or experience of shame. Schande is another related term used for disgrace or a stronger moral condemnation.

Notes

Schämen is a common, everyday verb used in personal, social, and moral contexts. It should not be confused with the noun Scham, which names the feeling itself. The standard present tense forms always appear with the reflexive pronoun (mich, dich, sich, uns, euch, sich).