anfallen

Anfallen is a German verb formed with the separable prefix an- attached to fallen. It has several related senses, most commonly meaning to attack or to fall upon someone or something. It can also describe something that occurs or arises, especially in the sense of costs, duties, or other consequences that come up as a result of a situation. In military or sports contexts, anfallen describes an active assault on a position, goal, or opponent; in business or accounting, it can mean that expenses or obligations arise.

The verb is separable in the present tense, so the prefix is separated in main clauses: der Gegner fällt uns an. The past participle is angefallen, and it is used in compound tenses with the auxiliary haben or, less commonly, sein, depending on usage and regional preference. In practical terms, most common constructions talk about an attack or an event that has occurred or will occur, while the sense of costs or occurrences uses the static form fallen an with appropriate auxiliary.

Examples illustrate typical usage. Der Gegner fällt den Turm an. means the opponent attacks the tower. Nach dem Brand fallen neue Kosten in Höhe von 10.000 Euro an. indicates that additional costs of 10,000 euros arise. Related expressions include angreifen as a synonym for a direct attack, or fallen auf in the sense of a problem or issue that presents itself.

In summary, anfallen is a versatile German verb for attacking or for things that arise or accrue, with separable-prefix morphology and a past participle angefallen. It is commonly used in military, sports, and financial contexts.