angesprungen

Angesprungen is the past participle of the German verb anspringen. The form is used with the auxiliary verbs sein or haben, depending on the meaning and construction, and it can also function as a participial adjective in certain contexts. The prefix an- with springen yields different senses compared to the bare verb, and the past participle Angesprungen reflects this separable-prefix construction without adding a ge- prefix.

The verb anspringen has two main meanings. First, intransitively, it denotes starting to operate or ignite, such as a machine or engine beginning to run. In this sense, Angesprungen is used with sein: Der Motor ist angesprungen (The engine started). Second, it can be transitive and describe someone or something leaping at another, i.e., to spring at or attack. In this usage, Angesprungen appears with haben: Der Hund hat mich angesprungen (The dog jumped at me).

Usage notes include the fact that, as a separable-prefix verb, anspringen commonly forms the past participle Angesprungen and the prefix is not reinserted before the participle in perfect tense constructions. The choice of auxiliary (sein vs. haben) aligns with the sense: motion or change of state often takes sein, while a direct-object action tends to use haben.

Examples illustrate the distinctions: Der Motor ist angesprungen shows ignition or startup, while Der Hund hat mich angesprungen describes a dog leaping toward someone. In everyday language, Angesprungen appears primarily in the perfect tense and in passive-like constructions with the appropriate auxiliary. Related terms include the base verb anspringen and related compounds describing ignition, activation, or sudden approach.