Signification
To deliberately ignore or refuse to acknowledge a problem or truth.
Contexte culturel
The concept of 'Wegschauen' (looking away) is a major social taboo in Germany due to historical lessons from the Nazi era. Schools and media emphasize 'Zivilcourage'—the courage to look and act. While the German idiom is critical, in some contexts in Japan, 'not seeing' (Mizaru) can be a way to maintain social harmony (Wa) and avoid unnecessary conflict. The 'Ostrich Effect' is a common psychological term in the US, especially in finance, describing how people avoid looking at their bills during a market crash. In modern business, 'closing one's eyes' to technical debt or ethical lapses in supply chains is a frequent topic of corporate social responsibility (CSR) debates.
Dative is Key
Always remember that 'vor' in this idiom takes the Dative. Practice 'vor der', 'vor dem', and 'vor den'.
Don't use for sleep
If you are tired, say 'Ich mache die Augen zu.' If you say 'Ich verschließe die Augen,' people will ask what problem you are ignoring!
Signification
To deliberately ignore or refuse to acknowledge a problem or truth.
Dative is Key
Always remember that 'vor' in this idiom takes the Dative. Practice 'vor der', 'vor dem', and 'vor den'.
Don't use for sleep
If you are tired, say 'Ich mache die Augen zu.' If you say 'Ich verschließe die Augen,' people will ask what problem you are ignoring!
Use with 'dürfen'
This idiom sounds very natural and powerful when used with 'dürfen nicht' (must not). 'Wir dürfen die Augen nicht verschließen!'
Teste-toi
Fülle die Lücke mit der richtigen Form von 'vor' und dem Artikel im Dativ.
Du darfst die Augen nicht ________ (die Realität) verschließen.
The preposition 'vor' requires the Dative case. 'Realität' is feminine, so 'die' becomes 'der'.
Welcher Satz ist ein Synonym für 'die Augen verschließen'?
Was bedeutet es, wenn man die Augen vor einem Problem verschließt?
The idiom means to deliberately ignore something.
Vervollständige den Dialog.
A: 'Warum sagst du nichts zu seinem Verhalten?' B: 'Ich weiß auch nicht. Ich glaube, ich ________.'
'Davor' is used here to refer back to 'seinem Verhalten'.
In welcher Situation passt das Idiom?
Wann verschließt jemand die Augen?
This is a classic case of ignoring a social problem.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Verschließen vs. Zudrücken
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesDu darfst die Augen nicht ________ (die Realität) verschließen.
The preposition 'vor' requires the Dative case. 'Realität' is feminine, so 'die' becomes 'der'.
Was bedeutet es, wenn man die Augen vor einem Problem verschließt?
The idiom means to deliberately ignore something.
A: 'Warum sagst du nichts zu seinem Verhalten?' B: 'Ich weiß auch nicht. Ich glaube, ich ________.'
'Davor' is used here to refer back to 'seinem Verhalten'.
Wann verschließt jemand die Augen?
This is a classic case of ignoring a social problem.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsIt is always 'vor'. Using 'gegen' is a common mistake for learners.
Yes, it's appropriate for professional contexts when discussing risks or market trends that shouldn't be ignored.
'Wegsehen' is more about the physical act of looking away from a scene. 'Die Augen verschließen' is more about a mental state of denial.
Yes, you never close just one eye to a problem in this idiom. It's always 'die Augen'.
It can be a strong critique, but it's not necessarily aggressive. It's more of a serious observation.
No, it's almost exclusively used for negative things, problems, or unpleasant truths.
Yes, 'das {das|n} Augenverschließen' exists but is very rare. Better to use the verbal phrase.
The opposite is 'jemandem die {die|f} Augen öffnen'.
Yes, it's a perfect idiom for B1 learners to start using in discussions.
It's grammatically correct but sounds less natural than 'die Augen'.
Expressions liées
wegsehen
synonymTo look away
den Kopf in den Sand stecken
similarTo stick one's head in the sand
etwas totschweigen
relatedTo keep silent about something until it 'dies'
die Augen öffnen
contrastTo open someone's eyes
blind sein für
similarTo be blind to something
