to contact
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to contact
To get in touch with someone or make contact, for example by phone, email, or in person.
Bitte kontaktieren Sie den Kundenservice, falls Sie weitere Fragen haben.
Please contact customer service if you have any further questions.
Like many verbs ending in '-ieren,' 'kontaktieren' (to contact) comes from another language. These verbs are always regular and form the perfect tense with 'haben' (to have) and without 'ge-' in the participle.
Er hat mich gestern wegen des Projekts kontaktiert.
He contacted me yesterday about the project.
'Kontaktieren' (to contact) is a transitive verb and always needs a direct object in the accusative. You ask: Wen oder was kontaktieren? (Whom or what to contact?)
Ich muss morgen unbedingt den Arzt kontaktieren.
I absolutely have to contact the doctor tomorrow.
The word 'kontaktieren' (to contact) belongs to standard language and is often used in formal or business contexts, for example in emails or official letters.
Für weitere Informationen können Sie uns jederzeit schriftlich kontaktieren.
For further information, you can contact us in writing at any time.
It is often specified how the contact is made. Typical adverbs are 'telefonisch' (by phone), 'schriftlich' (in writing), 'persönlich' (in person), or 'per E-Mail' (by email).
Bitte kontaktieren Sie mich nächste Woche telefonisch.
Please contact me by phone next week.
to reach
'erreichen' and 'kontaktieren' both have to do with contact with a person. 'kontaktieren' means that you try to get in touch with someone, for example by phone or email. 'erreichen' is used when the contact actually works: the person answers the phone or replies. Learners may confuse the words because both occur in communication situations. A practical way to remember it is: you contact someone in order to reach them.
Bitte kontaktieren Sie uns, wenn Sie den Termin ändern möchten.
Please contact us if you would like to change the appointment.
Ich habe den Arzt am Vormittag endlich telefonisch erreicht.
I finally reached the doctor by phone in the morning.