überrascht

Überrascht is a German word functioning as both the past participle of überraschen and an adjective. As a participle, überraschen means “to surprise,” and überrascht is used with auxiliary haben to form perfect tenses: “Ich habe ihn überrascht” (I surprised him). As an adjective or predicative adjective, überrascht describes a person or subject that has experienced surprise: “Ich bin überrascht” (I am surprised), “Sie war völlig überrascht” (She was completely surprised).

Etymology and meaning reflect the sense of suddenness or unexpectedness inherent in surprise. The word is built from the prefix über- combined with a root linked to quickness or rapid movement, conveying the notion of catching someone off guard. The related noun Überraschung denotes the event or experience of being surprised, while the adverbial form überraschend means “surprisingly.”

Usage notes and examples:

- Predicative adjective: Die Nachricht hat ihn überrascht. / Ich bin überrascht von der Nachricht. (The news surprised him. / I am surprised by the news.)

- Past participle with haben: Wir haben dich gestern überrascht. (We surprised you yesterday.)

- Contrast with surprising events: überraschend (adj., meaning “surprising” in describing things) vs. überrascht (describing a person’s state). For example, “Die Ergebnisse waren überraschend” means the results were surprising, while “Er ist überrascht” means he is surprised.

- Common collocations: überrascht von (surprised by), überrascht bleiben (to remain surprised), völlig überrascht (completely surprised).

In sum, überrascht is a flexible form tied to surprise, used both as a participle of überraschen and as a predicative or adjectival descriptor of a state of astonishment.