Is there any difference in meaning or nuance between the verbs "öffnen" and "aufmachen" (both apparently meaning "to open") and similarly between the verbs "begegnen" and "treffen" (which both appear to mean "meet").
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5The questions are similar, but are about different pairs of words, so there should really be two questions. Also did you try a dictionary? A good one will offer more than a singe word translation, and may include helpful examples.– RDBuryCommented Sep 23 at 1:18
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Öffnen vs aufmachen is discussed here: german.stackexchange.com/questions/11675/…– RHaCommented Sep 23 at 9:24
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1@RHa: "öffnen" has a lot more meanings than "to open something" and the same is true for "aufmachen", so: "bevor ich mich aufmache, dir zu antworten, überdenke deinen Schließungswunsch und öffne dich alternativen Vorgehensweisen, wie etwa: Fragen zu beantworten. Es könnte nämlich der Fall eintreffen, daß man solchen Frage am besten damit begegnet, daß man Antworten darauf formuliert - am besten solche, die zutreffen. Zumindest könnte man das ins Treffen führen, oder?– bakuninCommented Sep 23 at 10:39
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2 Answers
Öffnen is more broad than aufmachen. For example, you could write
Dort öffnet sich das Tal und gibt einem weiten See Platz.
Aufmachen is very specific about the action of a person opening a container.
Sie hat den Brief noch nicht aufgemacht.
You could use öffnen in that context as well but it would be more high-brow.
Treffen originally means to strike, to hit, to hurt but in most contexts it means that people come from all directions to der Treffpunkt which is the particular point where all lines cross.
Sie treffen sich jeden Abend in der Kneipe.
That likely means they meet there for a purpose. Playing cards or something like that.
Sie begegnen sich jeden Abend in der Kneipe.
That on the other hand means they go to the same pub but have no business with each other.
How about this one?
Schütze werden, Freunde treffen!
That pun would not work with begegnen, which is a tangential way of treffen. Often there's no touch:
Die zwei Fahrzeuge begegneten sich auf freier Strecke.
This happens every second. However
Die zwei Fahrzeuge trafen sich auf freier Strecke.
likely means there was a crash.
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Ahem: "sie begegnen einander" - "sich begegnen" is only possible in a mirror.– bakuninCommented Sep 23 at 12:04
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"Sie hat den Brief noch nicht geöffnet" while "Dort macht sich das Tal auf und gibt einem weiten See Platz" would have something very poetic and unwieldy for everyday language :)– haxor789Commented Sep 24 at 9:24
The meaning of "öffnen" and "aufmachen" often overlap and in these cases there is no difference in meaning. On the other hand "öffnen", especially as a reflexive, ("sich öffnen") has a meaning "aufmachen" cannot have:
Das Tal öffnete sich gegen Westen.
The valley opened up to the west.
"aufmachen" means to actively open something.
There is also a reflexive form of "aufmachen" too, but it means something completely different: "sich aufmachen" (also: "sich auf den Weg machen") means to start traveling, to sally forth. In a figurative way also to prepare to begin something.
"öffnen", on the other hand, has a more "metaphorical streak" to it, like the example above. A valley can "(sich) öffnen" but not "sich aufmachen".
There are a few (very new) phrases with "aufmachen", but IHMO they are not to be considered standard language, like "Dampf aufmachen". Literally "open (up) steam" means to accelerate a vehicle, usually with the connotation "beyond reasonable speed".
"treffen" and "begegnen" is a similar case. Both can mean what "to meet" is often used for in English, but "treffen" also means to register upon a target: "to hit" or "to score a hit".
Furthermore there a load of phrases with "treffen", where "treffen" can in no way be replaced by "begegnen":
Entscheidungen treffen (to make/come to decisions) Vorkehrungen treffen (to make arrangements)
Vorbereitungen treffen (to make provisions)
Vereinbarungen treffen (to cut deals)
Maßnahmen treffen (to take measures)
Vorsorge treffen (to look ahead, to make provisions/arrangements)
also
Das trifft mich hart. (This is hard on me.)
and so on, the list is not complete. And I don't even start on the composites: "zutreffen" means "to be correct", "betreffen" means "to relate to/affect so.", "eintreffen" means "to (indeed) happen, to come true" but also "to reach". This list is also not complete.
On the other side "begegnen" also has a second meaning of "to do something about/against so." Like (e.g. in a chess game):
Er begegnete dem Zug X mit dem Zug Y.
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BTW: "sich aufmachen" exists, but has a different meaning. Example: ...macht er sich zunächst auf, die bis dahin geschlossenen tibetischen Grenzprovinzen zu erkunden...– BodoCommented Sep 23 at 9:07
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