anfüllt

Anfällt is a term that can arise in discussions of German vocabulary because it is the surface form associated with a separable-prefix verb and with the related noun Anfall. In standard German, the present tense of the separable verb anhängen fallen or fallen an? The verb most often described is anfällt as a form of anfallen (to attack or to beset) or to befall in certain contexts. In correct present-tense usage, separable-prefix verbs like anfallen are written with the prefix separated: der Feind fällt die Stadt an. Therefore, the common present-tense form is er fällt an (not anfällt as a single word). The form angefallen is the past participle used with haben: Die Armee hat die Stadt angefallen.

The noun Anfall, capitalized, is distinct from the verb and is widely used in medical and general senses. It denotes a sudden occurrence or episode, such as a seizure in a medical context (ein epileptischer Anfall) or a sudden attack or onset of illness (ein Anfall von Fieber). Plural: Anfälle. In everyday language it can also mean a burst or surge of activity or emotion (ein Anfall von Wut).

Etymology and usage notes: Anfall derives from a prefixal construction based on fallen, with the sense of something that falls upon or occurs to someone. The verb sense encompasses both military attacks (jemand fällt etwas an) and more abstract, figurative uses (eine Idee fällt mir ein; however, this uses fallen intransitively with eine Idee). The medical sense is among the most common modern usages.

See also: Anfall von Krankheit, Anfall von Fieber, angefallen, anfallen (to attack).