umliegen

Umlegen is a German verb with several related meanings that share the core idea of moving an object around or altering its position relative to another. The most common senses are: to topple or knock over an object; to wrap or drape something around someone or something; and to shift blame onto someone else. The verb is separable: in the present tense the prefix separates from the stem, as in Er legt den Tisch um.

Conjugation and usage notes: The infinitive is umlegen. The past participle is umgelegt, used with auxiliary haben (Ich habe die Vase umgelegt). In the present tense you typically see the separable form: Er legt den Tisch um. In subordinate clauses or with nonfinite forms the prefix can stay attached, depending on word order. The verb also appears in reflexive constructions meaning to wrap something around oneself, for example Sie legt sich eine Decke um (she drapes a blanket around herself). A common figurative use is die Schuld auf jemanden umlegen, meaning to shift or lay blame onto someone else.

Examples of use:

- Der Stuhl ist umgelegt. (The chair has been toppled/knocked over.)

- Sie legt sich einen Schal um. (She wraps a scarf around herself.)

- Die Schuld wurde dem Kollegen umgelegt. (The blame was shifted to the colleague.)

- Er legte dem Gegner die Wache um. (He toppled the opponent? Note: context-dependent; the literal sense is topple or outmaneuver.)

Etymology and relation terms: umlegen combines prefix um- with legen (to lay). Related verbs include umkippen (to tip over completely), umstürzen (to overturn), and umarmen (to embrace, but different semantic area).

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