filzen
to felt
To process wool or other animal hair by rubbing, moisture, and heat until it becomes a firm, cohesive material.
EXAMPLE
Die Kinder filzen aus bunter Wolle kleine Bälle.
The children felt small balls out of brightly colored wool.
filzen
to felt / to mat / to frisk
filzen – filzte – hat gefilzt
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Meanings
filzen
to mat
For hair or fur to become matted or to cause it to become matted, forming dense, difficult-to-detangle clumps.
EXAMPLE
Ohne Bürsten filzt das lange Fell des Hundes schnell.
Without brushing, the dog's long fur mats quickly.
filzen
to frisk
To search someone or something thoroughly, especially for prohibited or hidden objects; this meaning is colloquial.
EXAMPLE
Die Polizei filzte ihn nach Waffen.
The police frisked him for weapons.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry filzen, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Present
| ich | filze |
|---|---|
| du | filzt |
| er/sie/es | filzt |
| wir | filzen |
| ihr | filzt |
| sie | filzen |
Simple past
| ich | filzte |
|---|---|
| du | filztest |
| er/sie/es | filzte |
| wir | filzten |
| ihr | filztet |
| sie | filzten |
Perfect
with haben or sein
| ich | habe gefilzt |
|---|---|
| du | hast gefilzt |
| er/sie/es | hat gefilzt |
| wir | haben gefilzt |
| ihr | habt gefilzt |
| sie | haben gefilzt |
Commands
| du | filze! filz! |
|---|---|
| ihr | filzt! |
| Sie | filzen Sie! |
Past perfect
| ich | hatte gefilzt |
|---|---|
| du | hattest gefilzt |
| er/sie/es | hatte gefilzt |
| wir | hatten gefilzt |
| ihr | hattet gefilzt |
| sie | hatten gefilzt |
Future
| ich | werde filzen |
|---|---|
| du | wirst filzen |
| er/sie/es | wird filzen |
| wir | werden filzen |
| ihr | werdet filzen |
| sie | werden filzen |
Subjunctive I
| ich | filze |
|---|---|
| du | filzest |
| er/sie/es | filze |
| wir | filzen |
| ihr | filzet |
| sie | filzen |
Used for reported speech.
Subjunctive II
| ich | filzte |
|---|---|
| du | filztest |
| er/sie/es | filzte |
| wir | filzten |
| ihr | filztet |
| sie | filzten |
Used for wishes and “would”.
Other forms
| infinitive | filzen |
|---|---|
| with zu | zu filzen |
| present participle | filzend |
| past participle | gefilzt |
Usage tips
Word family
'Filzen' (to felt) belongs to the word family of 'Filz' (felt), the firm material produced through felting. This connection helps you associate the verb with the result of the activity.
EXAMPLE
Aus der Wolle filzt sie einen dicken Untersetzer.
She felts a thick coaster out of the wool.
Typical collocations
In craft felting, an object is usually used as the object of the verb: for example, you can felt balls, figures, or bags. The material is often specified with 'aus' (out of).
EXAMPLE
Die Gruppe filzt kleine Figuren aus Schafwolle.
The group felts small figures out of sheep's wool.
Im Kurs filzen wir morgen eine Tasche aus Merinowolle.
In the class, we're felting a bag out of merino wool tomorrow.
Context clue
When referring to hair or fur, the hair or fur itself is often the subject and 'filzen' (to mat) is usually used without an object. Words such as 'schnell' (quickly), 'leicht' (easily), or 'ohne Bürsten' (without brushing) often point to this meaning.
EXAMPLE
Bei Nässe filzt die Mähne des Ponys schnell.
When wet, the pony's mane mats quickly.
Wenn man das Fell nicht regelmäßig pflegt, filzt es leicht.
If you don't groom the fur regularly, it mats easily.
In real life
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