fangen
[ˈfaŋŋ̩] verb B1- to catch (grab something flying in the air) · Der Torwart fängt den Ball. The goalkeeper catches the ball.
- to catch; to capture (to take hold of a person or an animal) · Die Förster fingen das entlaufene Wildschwein. The rangers caught the run-away boar.
- to improve in health; do well again; to do better · Es sah schlecht um sie aus, aber jetzt hat sie sich wieder gefangen. It looked quite bad for her, but now she has improved again.
- to calm down; to compose oneself · Wenn du dich gefangen hast, kannst du jetzt essen kommen. If you’ve composed yourself, you may come to dinner now.
- to catch (a disease; something unpleasant) · Ich hab mir auf der Kirmes nur ’ne Grippe gefangen. All I caught at the fun fair was a flu.
- to be slapped · Sag das noch mal und du fängst dir eine. Say that again and you’ll catch it.
Verb forms
- Infinitive
- fangen
- Present (er)
- fängt
- Präteritum (er)
- fing
- Perfekt (er)
- hat gefangen
- Infinitive with zu
- zu fangen
A strong or irregular verb: its stem changes in some forms, so learn its main forms by heart.
Other matches
Learn fangen in real texts
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