The idea
Present tense: ich fange, du fängst, er/sie/es fängt, wir fangen, ihr fangt, sie/Sie fangen. Learn the sentence pattern etwas fangen together with the principal parts.
| Form | Deutsch |
|---|---|
| ich | fange |
| du | fängst |
| er/sie/es | fängt |
| wir | fangen |
| ihr | fangt |
| sie/Sie | fangen |
| Präteritum | fing |
| Perfekt | hat gefangen |
| Imperativ (du) | Fang! |
| Muster | etwas fangen |
Meaning and sentence pattern
Fangen changes a to ä in the present singular but its imperative keeps a. It commonly takes a moving object such as a ball.
Learn this pattern as a unit: etwas fangen. The six situations below show the verb with concrete objects, complements or circumstances.
Form check
Du fangst den Ball.Du fängst den Ball.The du present changes a to ä: fängst.
Examples
- Ich fange den Ball mit beiden Händen.I catch the ball with both hands.
- Du fängst die Seifenblase, bevor sie platzt.You catch the soap bubble before it bursts.
- Die Torhüterin fängt den hohen Ball sicher.The goalkeeper catches the high ball securely.
- Wir fingen den herunterfallenden Karton gerade noch.We just managed to catch the falling box.
- Er hat den Schlüssel im letzten Moment gefangen.He caught the key at the last moment.
- Fang das weiche Kissen, das ich dir zuwerfe.Catch the soft cushion I am throwing to you.
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Watch out
The du present changes a to ä: fängst.
Try it yourself
du ___ (fangen, Präsens)
Show answer or example answer
fängst
fängst: this is the second-person singular present form.
er/sie ___ (fangen, Präteritum)
Show answer or example answer
fing
fing: this is the third-person singular simple past.
Perfekt: er/sie hat ___
Show answer or example answer
gefangen
gefangen: in this use the perfect tense is hat gefangen.
Practice round
Answer three questions, then rebuild three German sentences. We keep your score.
du ___ (fangen, Präsens)
er/sie ___ (fangen, Präteritum)
Perfekt: er/sie hat ___
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Read the six situations aloud, compare the verb forms, and complete the present, past and participle checks. Then write a new sentence that follows etwas fangen.