Erfährst

Erfährst is the second-person singular present tense form of the German verb erfahren. It corresponds to the English you experience or you learn, depending on the context, and is used with the informal subject du.

Usage and meaning. The verb erfahren generally means to experience something directly or to learn something through information from others. It can indicate physical experience as well as acquiring knowledge. Examples: Du erfährst heute viel Neues. Du erfährst von dem Vorfall, was passiert ist. In combination with a preposition or object, it can express learning about a topic, event, or situation.

Etymology and nuances. Erfuhren and related forms descend from a composition of er- and fahren, with the sense of attaining knowledge through experience. Over time, the meaning broadened from the literal experience of travel or activity to a more general sense of informing oneself or learning about something. The prefix er- is common in German to indicate a result or completion of an action.

Grammar notes. Erfährst is the present tense form used with du. The verb belongs to the strong/separable category in its semantics rather than in its morphology, and its past participle is erfahren. The perfect tense is formed with haben: du hast erfahren. The related adjective erfahren means experienced, but this is a separate usage and not the same as the verb form erfährst in a sentence.

Related forms. Other principal forms include ich erfahre (I experience/learn), du erfährst (you experience/learn), er erfährt (he experiences/learns), wir erfahren, ihr erfahrt, sie erfahren. The word erfahen, vary in spelling, and the unstressed pronunciation can be subtle in speech.