Entfernen

Entfernen is a German verb meaning to remove, take away, or detach something from a place or context. It is a transitive verb that requires a direct object in the accusative case. The prefix ent- conveys separation or moving away, and together with entfer­nen it forms a neutral term for removing or taking away.

In usage, entfernen covers physical removal (for example dust, obstacles, or objects from a surface), as well as removal from collections, lists, or data sets, and can appear in both concrete and abstract contexts. It is commonly used in everyday language, technical writing, and communications to indicate deliberate detachment or exclusion.

Conjugation and forms: present tense: ich entferne, du entfernst, er entfernt, wir entfernen, ihr entfernt, sie entfernen. Simple past: ich entfernte, du entferntest, er entfernte, wir entfernten, ihr entferntet, sie entfernten. Past participle: entfernt, used with haben in the perfect: Ich habe den Staub entfernt.

Usage notes: Entfernen often implies a deliberate or planned action of taking something away from a location or context. In contrast, synonyms such as beseitigen or lösen may be more appropriate for removing problems or obstacles, while lösch­en is typically used for deleting digital files or data. In many contexts, entfernen and löschen both express removal, but derivate choices depend on whether the emphasis is on removing from a place or on erasing digital content. Examples include removing dust from a surface, removing a file from a directory, or removing an item from a list.