Versorgen

Versorgen is a German verb meaning to provide someone with what is needed or to take care of someone or something. It can denote supplying goods or services as well as looking after people or assets. When used with a direct object, it appears as “jemanden/etwas versorgen” (to provide someone with something) or “etwas versorgen” (to supply something). With the preposition “mit,” one specifies the supplied item: e.g., “mit Wasser versorgen” (to supply with water).

The noun form is “die Versorgung,” referring to provisioning, supply, or care. It can denote general supply chains, public services, or health care provision, such as “Versorgung der Bevölkerung” or “medizinische Versorgung.” The term “Versorger” (masculine) or “Versorgerin” (feminine) denotes a provider or supplier, such as an energy or water utility.

Usage notes: In medical contexts, “Patienten versorgen” means to take care of patients; in logistics or business, it refers to supplying goods or services. The verb is regular: ich versorge, du versorgst, er versorgt; perfect “hat versorgt.” The reflexive form “sich versorgen” can mean to provide for oneself or to stock up, as in “sich mit Lebensmitteln versorgen.”

Etymology: The verb combines the prefix ver- with sorgen (to worry) and has developed senses tied to care, provision, and supply rather than the emotional sense of worry in everyday German.