What does “hinterfragen” mean in German?

When a hurtful comment lands, Beatrice doesn’t just react — she stops and asks why it touches her and what she can change. The clip calls this den eigenen Umgang mit verletzenden Aussagen zu hinterfragen: questioning her own way of handling such words. So hinterfragen isn’t a quick “what?” question. It means looking underneath a feeling or a belief to test whether it really holds up.

Spoken line: “den eigenen Umgang mit verletzenden Aussagen zu hinterfragen” — “to question your own way of dealing with hurtful comments.” Where fragen means to simply ask, hinterfragen means to go deeper and challenge whether something is right or makes sense — to examine it critically rather than just enquire about it. Examples: - “Du solltest diese Regel mal hinterfragen.” — “You should question that rule.” - “Sie hinterfragt ihre eigenen Reaktionen.” — “She examines her own reactions.” - “Niemand hat den Plan hinterfragt.” — “Nobody questioned the plan.” Usage notes: It often carries a thoughtful, critical tone — you weigh whether something is right or makes sense. Use fragen to simply ask, and hinterfragen when you want to test an idea or assumption at a deeper level.