anfallen
to attack
To suddenly and aggressively physically attack someone or an animal.
EXAMPLE
Der Hund ist ohne Vorwarnung den Postboten angefallen.
The dog attacked the mail carrier without warning.
anfallen
to attack / arise / come over
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
anfallen
to arise / accrue
To arise as work, costs, or waste and have to be dealt with or managed.
EXAMPLE
Bei der Renovierung ist viel mehr Müll angefallen als erwartet.
Much more trash arose during the renovation than expected.
anfallen
to come over
For a feeling or state to suddenly and unexpectedly come over someone.
EXAMPLE
Plötzlich fiel ihn eine große Müdigkeit an.
A great tiredness suddenly came over him.
Usage tips
Separable verb
'Anfallen' is a separable verb. The prefix 'an-' goes at the end in a main clause. In subordinate clauses or in the infinitive with 'zu', the verb stays together.
EXAMPLE
Der Hund fällt den Briefträger an.
The dog attacks the mail carrier.
Context clue
You can recognize the meaning from the subject: if a living being attacks, it refers to an attack. If the subject is something abstract like 'Kosten' (costs) or 'Arbeit' (work), it means 'to arise'. If the subject is a feeling, it means 'to come over'.
EXAMPLE
Der Löwe fällt seine Beute an.
The lion attacks its prey.
Typical collocations
In the meaning 'entstehen' (to arise), 'anfallen' is almost always used for impersonal things. Typical examples are costs, fees, work, trash, or data.
EXAMPLE
Bitte entsorgen Sie den Müll, der bei der Feier angefallen ist.
Please dispose of the trash that was generated during the party.
Sentence structure with feelings
When a feeling comes over someone, the feeling is the subject and the person is the accusative object. So the sentence structure is: [feeling] fällt [person] an.
EXAMPLE
Mitten im Gespräch fiel sie eine plötzliche Angst an.
In the middle of the conversation, a sudden fear came over her.
Compare with
anfallen vs entstehen
to arise
Both words can say that something new is added as a result of a process. „Entstehen“ generally describes something being formed, whereas „anfallen“ is especially typical of work, costs, or waste that subsequently has to be dealt with. „Anfallen“ is usually the better choice for such quantities or burdens.
anfallen
Beim Umbau des Hauses fiel viel Bauschutt an.
A lot of construction debris accumulated during the renovation of the house.
entstehen
Beim Umbau des Hauses entstand viel Staub.
A lot of dust was created while the house was being renovated.
In real life
Loading video examples...