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faszinieren
to fascinate
To exert a strong attraction on someone and arouse great interest or admiration.
example
Die Sterne haben die Menschen schon immer fasziniert.
The stars have always fascinated people.
faszinieren
to fascinate
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Meanings
Usage tips
Sentence structure: who fascinates whom?
With this verb, the thing or person that arouses the interest is the subject of the sentence. The person who is fascinated is in the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Die unendliche Weite des Universums fasziniert mich.
The infinite vastness of the universe fascinates me.
Describing a state
To express that one is fascinated, you can also use the construction 'fasziniert sein von' (to be fascinated by) + dative. Here, the person is the subject.
EXAMPLE
Ich bin von der alten Architektur fasziniert.
I am fascinated by the old architecture.
Word family
'Faszinieren' (to fascinate) is the base verb for the adjective 'faszinierend' (fascinating) and the noun 'die Faszination' (fascination). All three words describe a strong feeling of interest and attraction.
EXAMPLE
Dieses Thema fasziniert ihn so sehr, dass seine Faszination ansteckend ist.
This topic fascinates him so much that his fascination is contagious.
Typical subjects
Common subjects for the verb 'faszinieren' (to fascinate) are abstract concepts, fields of knowledge, or complex phenomena. Examples are 'die Natur' (nature), 'die Technik' (technology), 'die Kunst' (art), or 'die Geschichte' (history).
EXAMPLE
Schon als Kind hat ihn die Technik fasziniert.
Even as a child, technology fascinated him.
Compare with
faszinieren vs interessieren
to interest
'interessieren' and 'faszinieren' both have to do with attention and curiosity. 'interessieren' is more general and often less strong: you want to know more about a topic or find something important. 'faszinieren' is stronger. It means that something strongly attracts a person and often also creates admiration. For normal topics or factual curiosity, 'interessieren' fits better. When something is very impressive and you can hardly look away or stop thinking about it, 'faszinieren' sounds more natural.
faszinieren
Die Bilder vom Weltraum faszinieren die Kinder jedes Mal.
The pictures of space fascinate the children every time.
interessieren
Sie interessiert sich im Zug für das Gespräch mit der Kollegin.
On the train, she is interested in the conversation with her colleague.
In real life
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