besetzen
to occupy
To claim or take a place, seat, or room for oneself so that it is no longer available to others.
EXAMPLE
Entschuldigung, ist dieser Stuhl noch besetzt?
Excuse me, is this chair still occupied?
besetzen
to occupy / fill / cast
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Meanings
besetzen
to fill
To fill a position or job with a person.
EXAMPLE
Die Stelle des Abteilungsleiters muss dringend neu besetzt werden.
The department head position urgently needs to be filled again.
besetzen
to cast
To cast a role in a film, play, or opera with an actor or singer.
EXAMPLE
Der Regisseur hat die Hauptrolle mit einer unbekannten Schauspielerin besetzt.
The director cast the leading role with an unknown actress.
besetzen
to occupy
To take over a foreign territory or country militarily and assume control over it.
EXAMPLE
Die feindlichen Truppen haben die Hauptstadt besetzt.
The enemy troops occupied the capital.
besetzen
to occupy
To take unlawful possession of a building or site as a form of protest.
EXAMPLE
Die Aktivisten haben das leerstehende Haus besetzt, um auf die Wohnungsnot aufmerksam zu machen.
The activists occupied the empty house to draw attention to the housing shortage.
Usage tips
Inseparable verb
'Besetzen' (to occupy / fill / cast) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'be-' remains firmly attached to the stem verb 'setzen' (to set / put) in all tenses and sentence constructions.
EXAMPLE
Er besetzt seit einer Stunde den besten Platz am Fenster.
He has been occupying the best seat by the window for an hour.
Context clue
The exact meaning of 'besetzen' (to occupy / fill / cast) is almost always made clear by the object of the sentence. Pay attention to whether the sentence is talking about a place, a job, a role in a film, or a territory.
EXAMPLE
Die Demonstranten besetzten den zentralen Platz der Stadt.
The demonstrators occupied the city's central square.
Past participle as adjective
The past participle 'besetzt' (occupied / taken) is very often used like an adjective to describe that a seat, a phone line, or a toilet is not free.
EXAMPLE
Ich konnte dich nicht anrufen, die Leitung war ständig besetzt.
I couldn't call you; the line was constantly busy.
Typical collocations
In a professional context, 'besetzen' (to fill) is often combined with words such as 'Stelle' (position), 'Position' (position), or 'Amt' (office). The passive is also often used here.
EXAMPLE
Die Firma konnte die offene Position schnell neu besetzen.
The company was able to fill the open position quickly.
Sentence structure with 'mit'
When it is about casting a role, the person is often introduced with the preposition 'mit' and the dative. The structure is: 'eine Rolle mit jemandem besetzen' (to cast a role with someone).
EXAMPLE
Man hat die Nebenrolle mit einem Nachwuchstalent besetzt.
The supporting role was cast with a young up-and-coming talent.
Compare with
besetzen vs übernehmen
to take over / take on
Eine Stelle besetzen describes, from an organization’s perspective, that a person is selected and appointed to the position. Ein Amt oder eine Leitung übernehmen describes, from that person’s perspective, that they receive control and responsibility. The perspective determines the choice of words.
besetzen
Die Firma besetzt im Mai die Leitung der Abteilung mit Nora.
In May, the company fills the department head position with Nora.
übernehmen
Nora übernimmt im Mai die Leitung der Abteilung.
In May, Nora takes over leadership of the department.
In real life
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