erreichen
to reach
To arrive at a particular place or destination.
EXAMPLE
Nach einer langen Fahrt haben wir endlich die Küste erreicht.
After a long drive, we finally reached the coast.
erreichen
to reach
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Meanings
erreichen
to achieve
To realize a goal, purpose, or particular state through effort or development.
EXAMPLE
Sie hat hart gearbeitet, um ihre Ziele zu erreichen.
She worked hard to achieve her goals.
erreichen
to reach
To get in contact with a person, usually by phone or through other means of communication.
EXAMPLE
Ich habe versucht, dich den ganzen Vormittag zu erreichen, aber dein Handy war aus.
I tried to reach you all morning, but your phone was off.
erreichen
to reach
To physically get as far as something in order to be able to touch or grab it.
EXAMPLE
Das Kind ist noch zu klein, um das oberste Regal zu erreichen.
The child is still too small to reach the top shelf.
Usage tips
Inseparable verb
'Erreichen' (to reach/achieve) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'er-' remains firmly attached to the verb stem 'reichen' in all tenses and sentence types. The prefix 'er-' often points to the successful completion of an action.
EXAMPLE
Ich hoffe, dass wir unser Ziel bald erreichen.
I hope that we reach our goal soon.
Always with accusative
'Erreichen' is a transitive verb and always needs a direct object in the accusative. A preposition like 'an' or 'zu' is never used to name the destination or goal.
EXAMPLE
Wir erreichen den Bahnhof in fünf Minuten.
We will reach the station in five minutes.
Context clue
The meaning of 'erreichen' becomes clear from the object. A place as the object means 'to arrive'. An abstract noun, e.g. 'Ziel' (goal), means 'to achieve/realize'. A person means 'to contact'.
EXAMPLE
Wann erreichen wir die nächste Stadt?
When will we reach the next city?
Typical goals
In the meaning of 'to achieve/realize', 'erreichen' is often combined with abstract goals. Typical combinations are: 'ein Ziel erreichen' (to achieve a goal), 'einen Abschluss erreichen' (to obtain a degree/qualification), 'eine Verbesserung erreichen' (to achieve an improvement), or 'ein hohes Alter erreichen' (to reach an advanced age).
EXAMPLE
Mit viel Disziplin hat sie eine deutliche Verbesserung ihrer Leistung erreicht.
With a lot of discipline, she achieved a clear improvement in her performance.
Communication context
When the object is a person, it is almost always about communication. The type of communication is often specified with an adverb: 'telefonisch erreichen' (to reach by phone), 'per E-Mail erreichen' (to reach by email), or 'persönlich erreichen' (to reach in person).
EXAMPLE
Der Manager war für eine Stellungnahme nicht zu erreichen.
The manager could not be reached for a statement.
Compare with
kommenbringenschaffenerfüllengelangenankommenbelegenerwischenerzielenerlangenanrufenvollendenbewirkenerobernkontaktierenerzwingendurchkommenErreichungerwirkeneinlaufenerklimmenherankommen
erreichen vs kommen
to come
Both words can refer to arriving at a destination. kommen focuses more on the arrival, while erreichen puts more emphasis on the destination that has been reached. In a normal arrival situation, kommen is usually more suitable; erreichen particularly highlights the destination.
erreichen
Wir erreichen um acht Uhr den Bahnhof.
We reach the station at eight o’clock.
kommen
Wir kommen um acht Uhr am Bahnhof an.
We arrive at the station at eight o’clock.
In real life
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