verdanken

Verdanken is a German verb that means to owe something to someone, or more commonly to be grateful to someone and attribute credit to them. It is used when a person or a cause is credited with a positive outcome or with a gift, help, or achievement. For example, Ich verdanke dir mein Glück means I owe my happiness to you.

Grammar and construction: Verdanken is a transitive verb that takes a dative object for the person to whom the thing is owed and an accusative object for the thing owed. For instance: Ich verdanke dir das Buch. Er verdankte ihr den Erfolg. In perfect tense the verb forms are verdankt (past participle) with haben: Ich habe dir das Buch verdankt. A common formal construction is to say Der Erfolg ist meiner Anstrengung zu verdanken, meaning The success is to be attributed to my effort.

Usage notes: Verdanken is often used in two related senses. It can express literal indebtedness (to owe someone something) and the more idiomatic attribution of credit or gratitude (to owe one’s success to someone). The phrase zu verdanken frequently appears in impersonal or passive-like constructions: Der Erfolg ist meiner Anstrengung zu verdanken; Es ist dir zu verdanken, dass wir gewonnen haben.

Verdanken vs. schulden: While both verbs convey a sense of owed credit, schulden typically denotes a debt or obligation, especially financial, and can imply an obligation to repay. Verdanken emphasizes gratitude, attribution of success, or credit to a person or cause rather than a legal obligation.

See also: Dankbarkeit, Danken.