Before you start
Meet angreifen
Read how the verb is used, then write your own 10 sentences with it.
All 2 meanings
- to attack
- (Austria) to touch, to handle
Build the meaning
an- + greifen
- an-
- toward or against something
- greifen
- to grasp or seize
To reach against someone and seize or engage them.
So angreifen means to attack or assault.
A memory aid, not a rule: prefixes change meaning from verb to verb.
Learning approach inspired by this explanation in r/German.
Separable verb: an·greifen
In a main clause the prefix an splits off and goes to the end. After weil, dass and other subordinating words, the verb stays in one piece at the end.
Main clauseDie Katze greift den kleinen Vogel an.The cat attacks the little bird.
Subordinate clauseEr bleibt ruhig, weil die Männer ihn angreifen.He stays calm because the men attack him.
Participle: angegriffenzu-infinitive: anzugreifen
Forms
How angreifen changes
| Pronoun | Präsens | Präteritum |
|---|---|---|
| ich | greife an | griff an |
| du | greifst an | griffst an |
| er/sie/es | greift an | griff an |
| wir | greifen an | griffen an |
| ihr | greift an | grifft an |
| Sie | greifen an | griffen an |
Partizip II angegriffen · Perfekt with haben
Three examples
- 1Der Hund greift den Mann an.The dog attacks the man.present, prefix at the end
- 2Die Polizei hat den Mann angegriffen.The police attacked the man.Perfekt with haben
- 3Wenn sie uns angreifen, laufen wir weg.If they attack us, we run away.verb at the end after wenn
Verb family
More verbs built on greifen
Same base verb, a different prefix, a new meaning.