erkranken
to fall ill
To become sick; to lose one's state of health.
EXAMPLE
Letzte Woche ist er plötzlich erkrankt und musste im Bett bleiben.
Last week he suddenly fell ill and had to stay in bed.
erkranken
to fall ill
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
erkranken an
to contract
To suffer from or contract a specific illness.
EXAMPLE
Viele Menschen erkranken jedes Jahr an der Grippe.
Many people contract the flu every year.
Usage tips
Word structure
The verb is made up of the prefix 'er-' and the adjective 'krank' (sick). Here, the prefix 'er-' expresses the beginning of a state, that is, becoming sick.
EXAMPLE
Pass auf, dass du dich nicht erkältest und erkrankst.
Be careful that you don't catch a cold and fall ill.
Perfect tense with 'sein'
Since 'erkranken' (to fall ill) describes a change of state (from healthy to sick), the perfect tense is always formed with the auxiliary verb 'sein' (to be), not with 'haben' (to have).
EXAMPLE
Mein Kollege ist letzte Woche an einer Lungenentzündung erkrankt.
My colleague came down with pneumonia last week.
Register
'Erkranken' (to fall ill) is more formal than 'krank werden' (to get sick) and is often used in medical, scientific, or official contexts.
EXAMPLE
Die Statistik zeigt, wie viele Menschen jährlich an Diabetes erkranken.
The statistics show how many people develop diabetes each year.
Fixed preposition
To name the specific illness, you always use the preposition 'an' followed by the dative. The structure is: jemand erkrankt an einer Krankheit (someone contracts an illness).
EXAMPLE
Er ist als Kind an Masern erkrankt.
He contracted measles as a child.
Compare with
erkranken vs bekommen
to get / receive
Eine Krankheit bekommen and an einer Krankheit erkranken both describe someone becoming ill. Bekommen is a general, everyday expression. Erkranken sounds more formal and, with a specific illness, is usually used together with an.
erkranken
Nach der Reise erkrankte Lara an einer Lungenentzündung.
After the trip, Lara fell ill with pneumonia.
bekommen
Nach der Reise bekam Lara eine Lungenentzündung.
After the trip, Lara got pneumonia.
In real life
Loading video examples...