This is the 4234th most frequent German word.
brachen
"Brachen" is the past tense of "brechen," meaning "broke" or "fractured" in English.
Here, 'brachen' is used as the preterite form of the verb 'brechen,' indicating an action in the past where something was accidentally broken.
Sie brachen die Vase aus Versehen.
They broke the vase accidentally.
In this context, 'brachen' is the preterite form of 'aufbrechen,' a compound verb indicating the action of departing or starting a journey.
Sie brachen auf, um die Reise zu beginnen.
They set off to begin the journey.
Here, 'brachen' refers to the preterite form of 'abbrechen,' emphasizing an abrupt termination or disruption of the conversations.