fangen
to catch
To grab and hold a moving object, often with the hands.
EXAMPLE
Der Torwart konnte den Ball sicher fangen.
The goalkeeper was able to catch the ball safely.
fangen
to catch
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Meanings
fangen
to catch
To seize and capture a living being (animal or person) so that it can no longer escape.
EXAMPLE
Die Katze hat eine Maus gefangen.
The cat caught a mouse.
sich fangen
to collect oneself
To regain composure and self-control after a shock, excitement, or emotional outburst.
EXAMPLE
Nach der überraschenden Nachricht musste er sich erst einmal wieder fangen.
After the surprising news, he first had to collect himself again.
Feuer fangen
to catch fire
To begin to burn.
EXAMPLE
Das trockene Laub fing sofort Feuer.
The dry leaves caught fire immediately.
sich etwas fangen
to catch something
Colloquial for becoming infected with an illness.
EXAMPLE
Bei dem Regenwetter habe ich mir eine Erkältung gefangen.
In that rainy weather, I caught a cold.
Usage tips
Irregular verb
'Fangen' (to catch) is a strong, irregular verb. Pay attention to the vowel change in the present tense (ich fange, but du fängst, er fängt) and in the simple past (fing).
EXAMPLE
Fängst du den Ball?
Are you catching the ball?
Word family
The verb 'fangen' (to catch) is the base for many important verbs with prefixes. These include, for example, 'anfangen' (to begin), 'empfangen' (to receive), and 'gefangen nehmen' (to take prisoner).
EXAMPLE
Der Kurs fängt um 9 Uhr an.
The course starts at 9 o'clock.
Reflexive verb
In the meaning 'die Fassung wiedererlangen' (to regain composure), 'fangen' is always used reflexively. The structure is 'sich fangen' (to collect oneself).
EXAMPLE
Sie war so schockiert, dass sie sich kaum fangen konnte.
She was so shocked that she could hardly collect herself.
Fixed expression
The expression 'Feuer fangen' (to catch fire) is a fixed expression. The subject of the sentence is always the thing that begins to burn.
EXAMPLE
Wegen der Trockenheit hat der Wald schnell Feuer gefangen.
Because of the dryness, the forest quickly caught fire.
Sentence structure with illness
To express that someone has caught an illness, German uses the colloquial structure 'sich (dative) etwas (accusative) fangen' (to catch something).
EXAMPLE
Ich habe mir bei dem Wetter wohl eine Grippe gefangen.
I probably caught the flu in this weather.
Compare with
fangen vs kriegen
to get
„Kriegen“ and „fangen“ can mean seizing a fleeing person or animal. „Fangen“ is the neutral term, while „kriegen“ is colloquial and often sounds somewhat more forceful or determined. „Fangen“ is usually more suitable in factual situations, while „kriegen“ also works in casual conversation.
fangen
Die Helferin fängt den entlaufenen Hund vorsichtig mit einer Leine ein.
The helper carefully catches the escaped dog with a leash.
kriegen
Der Junge rennt dem entlaufenen Hund hinterher und ruft: „Ich kriege ihn gleich!“
The boy runs after the escaped dog and calls out, “I’ll catch him in a moment!”
In real life
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