der Fänger
catcher
A person or animal that catches someone or something.
EXAMPLE
Der Fänger holte den Ball kurz vor dem Boden noch aus der Luft.
The catcher caught the ball in midair just before it hit the ground.
der Fänger
catcher
der Fänger, die Fänger
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Meanings
der Fänger
catcher
In baseball, the player on the defending team who stands behind the batter and catches the pitches.
EXAMPLE
Der Fänger fing den dritten Strike sicher und beendete damit das Inning.
The catcher caught the third strike cleanly, ending the inning.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Fänger, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Fänger |
| genitive | des Fängers |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Fänger | die Fänger |
| accusative | den Fänger | die Fänger |
| dative | dem Fänger | den Fängern |
| genitive | des Fängers | der Fänger |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Word formation
'Fänger' (catcher) is derived from 'fangen' (to catch). Here, the suffix '-er' denotes a person or animal that performs an action.
EXAMPLE
Der Fänger beobachtete die Bewegung seiner Beute ganz genau.
The catcher watched its prey's movements very closely.
Typical collocations
In its general sense, 'Fänger' (catcher) often appears with words such as 'geschickt' (skillful), 'schnell' (fast), or 'geübt' (experienced). In a game of tag, the child who has to catch the others is called the 'Fänger' (the person who is 'it').
EXAMPLE
Beim Fangenspielen war Tom ein schneller Fänger, dem kaum jemand entkam.
When playing tag, Tom was quick at catching people, and hardly anyone could get away from him.
Baseball context
The baseball sense is often recognizable from words such as 'Schlagmann' (batter), 'Pitcher' (pitcher), 'Strike' (strike), or 'Inning' (inning). In this context, 'Fänger' (catcher) usually appears in set descriptions of the player's position and role in the game.
EXAMPLE
Vor jedem Wurf verständigen sich der Pitcher und der Fänger mit Handzeichen.
Before each pitch, the pitcher and the catcher communicate using hand signals.
In real life
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