Erreichen

Erreichen is a German verb with several related senses centered on the idea of getting to or attaining something. It can mean physically reaching a destination, achieving a goal, or contacting someone. In sentences it is typically transitive when a direct object is present (for example, das Ziel erreichen, den Bahnhof erreichen) and it can describe the act of arriving at a place or of successfully getting through to a person by communication (jemanden erreichen, jemanden telefonisch erreichen).

Etymology and forms: the verb is formed with the prefix er- added to reichen (to reach, to be sufficient). This yields a sense of completion or accomplishment. The basic conjugation in the present tense is ich erreiche, du erreichst, er erreicht, wir erreichen, ihr erreicht, sie erreichen. The perfect forms use haben erreicht (Ich habe das Ziel erreicht). The past tenses follow regular prefixes: erreichte, hat erreicht, etc. An adjective form is erreichbar, meaning reachable or attainable.

Usage notes: erreichen is versatile and common in both physical and abstract contexts. It appears with direct objects such as Ziele, Orte, oder Personen, and in constructions about contact or communication, as in jemanden erreichen or telefonisch erreichen. The infinitive clause often appears with the preface Es ist schwer, das Ziel zu erreichen, illustrating its use in subordinate clauses.

Related terms: erreichbar (reachable), Erreichbarkeit (reachability or availability), Reichweite (range or reach). The distinctions among these terms help express whether something can be reached, the ease of reaching it, or the extent of its reach in a spatial or figurative sense.