Befüllen

Befüllen is a German verb meaning to fill a container, space, or vessel with a substance or content. It is used for literal filling as well as for figurative senses, such as filling a container, a data field, or a space with content. In everyday language, befüllen is common in technical or formal contexts and often contrasts with einfach relying on fill-related verbs like füllen, auffüllen, or ausfüllen depending on nuance.

Grammatically, befüllen is a transitive verb with the inseparable prefix be-. The action is directed at the object being filled, and the filling material is usually indicated with a preposition such as mit. The typical conjugation is: ich befülle, du befüllst, er befüllt, wir befüllen, ihr befüllt, sie befüllen; the past participle is befüllt, and the perfect is formed with haben (Ich habe die Flasche befüllt).

The noun form is Befüllung, which denotes the act or process of filling. Related terms include befüllbar (fillable), Befüllvorgang (filling procedure), and related verbs such as füllen (to fill) and auffüllen (to top up or refill). Differentiation with other German verbs is context-driven: ausfüllen is used for completing a form or field, auffüllen or auffüllen emphasizes topping up, and befüllen centers on the act of filling a container or space with deliberate content.

Examples: Wir befüllen die Flasche mit Wasser. Die Befüllung der Tanks erfolgt automatisiert. Das Befüllen eines Datenfeldes erfordert Präzision; sometimes, Daten befüllen is used in more technical language.