Betrefft

Betrefft is a historical or nonstandard spelling associated with the German verb betreffen, which means to concern, affect, or pertain. In contemporary standard German, the form betrefft is considered obsolete or incorrect; the correct present tense forms are betreffen (infinitive), er betrifft (3rd person singular), and related forms such as ich betreffe and du betriffst. The spelling betrefft may appear in older texts or regional dialect writings, but it is not used in modern formal language.

Etymology and meaning

The verb betreffen derives from the prefix be- added to treffen (to meet or to hit), yielding a sense of touching upon or affecting something. Over time, betreffen developed a figurative meaning: to concern or be relevant to someone or something. The core idea is that a matter “touches” or has relevance to a subject or group.

Usage

Betreffen is used with a thing or issue as the subject that concerns others. Typical constructions include: Was betrifft diese Angelegenheit? (What does this matter concern?) and Diese Regel betrifft alle Mitarbeitenden. In sentences with a personal reference, one can say Es betrifft mich. The form betreffen takes various finite forms according to person and number, but betrefft does not belong in modern standard usage.

Relation to Betreff

Betreff is a noun meaning the subject or topic of a letter, often used in the heading line Betreff: …, and is etymologically related but distinct from the verb betreffen. While betreffen describes what concerns or affects, Betreff denotes what the communication is about.

Modern status

Today, betreffen’s standard forms are preferred, and betrefft is generally treated as obsolete. The distinction between Betreff (subject line) and betreffen (to concern) remains a basic point of German orthography and usage.