vortragen

Vortragen is a German verb meaning to present, to deliver a speech or lecture, or to recite something aloud to an audience. It combines the prefix vor- with the verb tragen (to carry), conveying the sense of carrying information forward to listeners. The term can also mean to put forward or present an argument or set of facts, for example in a debate or in a court of law.

In everyday and professional language, you can say “einen Vortrag halten” (to give a lecture or talk) or “einen Text vortragen” (to recite a text aloud). “Beweise vortragen” means to present evidence; “eine Theorie vortragen” to present a theory. The sense “to recite from memory” is expressed with “auswendig vortragen.”

Vortragen is a separable verb. In the present tense you typically separate the prefix: “Ich trage den Bericht vor.” “Du trägst den Bericht vor,” etc. In the perfect tense the prefix stays with the participle: “Ich habe den Bericht vorgetragen.” The infinitive is “vortragen” or, in constructions such as “Es ist schwierig, den Vortrag vorzutragen.”

The noun forms are der Vortrag (a talk, lecture) and das Vortragen (the act of presenting). Related expressions include “einen Vortrag halten,” “Beweise vortragen,” and “auswendig vortragen.”