antippen
to tap
To touch someone or something briefly and lightly with a finger or hand, often to get their attention.
EXAMPLE
Sie tippte mich an, weil ich sie nicht gehört hatte.
She tapped me because I hadn't heard her.
antippen
to tap / touch on
antippen – tippte an – hat angetippt
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Meanings
antippen
to tap
To briefly touch a button, icon, or area on a screen to select or activate a function.
EXAMPLE
Tippen Sie das Symbol an, um die App zu öffnen.
Tap the icon to open the app.
antippen
to touch on
To mention a topic or question briefly without discussing it in detail.
EXAMPLE
Der Vortrag tippte das Problem nur kurz an.
The lecture only briefly touched on the problem.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry antippen, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Present
| ich | tippe an |
|---|---|
| du | tippst an |
| er/sie/es | tippt an |
| wir | tippen an |
| ihr | tippt an |
| sie | tippen an |
Simple past
| ich | tippte an |
|---|---|
| du | tipptest an |
| er/sie/es | tippte an |
| wir | tippten an |
| ihr | tipptet an |
| sie | tippten an |
Perfect
with haben
| ich | habe angetippt |
|---|---|
| du | hast angetippt |
| er/sie/es | hat angetippt |
| wir | haben angetippt |
| ihr | habt angetippt |
| sie | haben angetippt |
Commands
| du | tipp an! tippe an! |
|---|---|
| ihr | tippt an! |
| Sie | tippen Sie an! |
Past perfect
| ich | hatte angetippt |
|---|---|
| du | hattest angetippt |
| er/sie/es | hatte angetippt |
| wir | hatten angetippt |
| ihr | hattet angetippt |
| sie | hatten angetippt |
Future
| ich | werde antippen |
|---|---|
| du | wirst antippen |
| er/sie/es | wird antippen |
| wir | werden antippen |
| ihr | werdet antippen |
| sie | werden antippen |
Subjunctive I
| ich | tippe an |
|---|---|
| du | tippest an |
| er/sie/es | tippe an |
| wir | tippen an |
| ihr | tippet an |
| sie | tippen an |
Used for reported speech.
Subjunctive II
| ich | tippte an |
|---|---|
| du | tipptest an |
| er/sie/es | tippte an |
| wir | tippten an |
| ihr | tipptet an |
| sie | tippten an |
Used for wishes and “would”.
Other forms
| infinitive | antippen |
|---|---|
| with zu | anzutippen |
| present participle | antippend |
| past participle | angetippt |
Usage tips
Separable verb
'Antippen' (to tap / touch on) consists of 'an' and 'tippen' (to tap) and is separable. In a main clause, 'an' goes at the end of the clause; in a subordinate clause, the verb stays together. In the infinitive with 'zu', 'zu' goes between the prefix and the stem.
EXAMPLE
Sie tippt ihren Bruder vorsichtig an.
She gently taps her brother.
Er lächelte, weil sie ihn angetippt hatte.
He smiled because she had tapped him.
Bitte versuche, das Symbol anzutippen.
Please try to tap the icon.
Accusative object
When a person or object is touched briefly, the direct object is in the accusative case. Common patterns are 'jemanden antippen' (to tap someone) and 'etwas antippen' (to tap something).
EXAMPLE
Der Mann tippte mich an, um nach dem Weg zu fragen.
The man tapped me to ask for directions.
Screen commands
On screens and mobile devices, icons, buttons, and links are particularly common things to tap. The element being tapped is the accusative object.
EXAMPLE
Tippe das kleine Lautsprechersymbol an, um den Ton einzuschalten.
Tap the little speaker icon to turn on the sound.
Typical collocations
In this sense, 'antippen' (to touch on) is often used with words such as 'Thema' (topic), 'Problem' (problem), 'Frage' (question), or 'Punkt' (point). The phrases 'nur kurz' (only briefly) or 'kurz' (briefly) often indicate that the discussion remains superficial.
EXAMPLE
Der Bericht tippt die sozialen Folgen der Entscheidung nur kurz an.
The report only briefly touches on the social consequences of the decision.
In real life
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