Ergänze

Ergänze is the imperative singular form of the German verb ergänzen. Ergänzen means to supplement, complete, or add information, items, or elements that fill gaps or make something more complete. The verb is commonly used in instruction, editing, writing, education, and data handling.

Etymology and forms: ergänzen consists of the prefix er- and the stem ergän- derived from the verb ganz/ganzen meaning to make whole. Its infinitive is ergänzen, and its present tense forms include ich ergänze, du ergänzt, er ergänzt, wir ergänzen, ihr ergänzt, sie ergänzen. The imperative forms include du ergänze (informal singular) and Sie ergänzen (formal). The past participle is ergänzt, used with auxiliary haben to form perfect tenses.

Usage: The imperative ergänze is used when addressing a single person informally to ask them to add or fill in something. Examples: “Ergänze den Absatz mit weiteren Beispielen.” “Ergänze die Liste.” In formal contexts, one would say “Ergänzen Sie den Text.” The verb often appears in exam instructions and editing tasks: “Ergänze die Lücken,” meaning fill in the blanks.

Nuances: ergänzen emphasizes making something complete by adding missing elements, rather than merely adding something new. It can contrast with synonyms like hinzufügen (to add) or erweitern (to expand). The related noun is die Ergänzung, meaning the supplement or addition.

See also: Ergänzung, ergänzend, ergänzend.