hängen
to hang
To attach something at one point so that it hangs freely downward. This form describes the action of hanging something up.
EXAMPLE
Ich hänge die Wäsche zum Trocknen auf die Leine.
I hang the laundry on the line to dry.
hängen
to hang
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Meanings
hängen
to hang
To be attached at one point and hang freely downward. This form describes the state of hanging.
EXAMPLE
Das Bild hängt schon seit Jahren an dieser Wand.
The picture has been hanging on this wall for years.
hängen an
to be attached to
To have a strong emotional attachment to a person or thing.
EXAMPLE
Sie hängt sehr an ihrer Großmutter.
She is very attached to her grandmother.
hängen
to freeze
Colloquial for suddenly stopping working, especially with technical devices or software.
EXAMPLE
Mein Computer hängt schon wieder, ich muss ihn neu starten.
My computer has frozen again; I need to restart it.
sich hängen lassen
to let oneself go
To lose motivation, become listless, or neglect oneself.
EXAMPLE
Nach der Absage hat er sich eine Weile ziemlich hängen lassen.
After the rejection, he let himself go pretty badly for a while.
Usage tips
Two conjugations
This verb is a common source of mistakes because it has two conjugation patterns. The action (hanging something up) is a weak verb (hängte, hat gehängt). The state (something is hanging) is a strong verb (hing, hat gehangen).
EXAMPLE
Gestern hängte ich das neue Bild an die Wand.
Yesterday I hung the new picture on the wall.
Action vs. state
When 'hängen' (to hang) describes an action, it needs an accusative object (whom or what am I hanging?). When it describes a state, it is intransitive and has no accusative object.
EXAMPLE
Er hängt seine Jacke (Akkusativ) an die Garderobe.
He hangs his jacket (accusative) on the coat rack.
Fixed preposition
In the emotional meaning, 'hängen' (to be attached) is always used with the preposition 'an' and the dative. The structure is: 'an jemandem/etwas hängen' (to be attached to someone/something).
EXAMPLE
Er hängt sehr an seinen alten Büchern.
He is very attached to his old books.
Colloquial use
The meaning 'nicht mehr funktionieren' (to stop working) is colloquial and is used almost exclusively for computers, software, or internet connections.
EXAMPLE
Das Programm hängt ständig, ich kann nicht weiterarbeiten.
The program keeps freezing; I can't continue working.
Reflexive expression
The expression 'sich hängen lassen' (to let oneself go) is reflexive. The reflexive pronoun 'sich' must be adapted to the subject of the sentence (ich lasse mich hängen, du lässt dich hängen).
EXAMPLE
Nach der Enttäuschung darfst du dich nicht so hängen lassen.
After the disappointment, you mustn't let yourself go like that.
Compare with
hängen vs ausfallen
to be canceled / to fail
When talking about technology, hängen and ausfallen both mean that something is no longer working. Hängen is often used colloquially for a frozen or blocked state. Ausfallen is especially appropriate when a device stops working completely, usually because of a technical defect.
hängen
Der Bürocomputer hängt und reagiert nicht mehr auf die Maus.
The office computer has frozen and no longer responds to the mouse.
ausfallen
Der Bürocomputer ist wegen eines defekten Netzteils vollständig ausgefallen.
The office computer has completely failed because of a faulty power supply.
In real life
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