bejahen

German

Etymology

16th century, equivalent to be- +‎ ja (“yes”) +‎ -en (with -h- as orthographic hiatus breaker). While the verb may have been derived directly from the interjection ja, an alternative possibility is that it is a reinterpretation of Middle High German bejëhen (“to acknowledge, admit”), from jëhen (“to say”). The according spelling bejähen is indeed attested in the 17th century.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bəˈjaːən/
Audio (file)
Hyphenation: be‧ja‧hen

Verb

bejahen (weak, third-person singular present bejaht, past tense bejahte, past participle bejaht, auxiliary haben)

to affirm, approve, answer something in the affirmative
Antonym: verneinen

Conjugation

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