befragt

Befragt is the past participle of the German verb befragen, meaning to question, interview, or survey someone or a group. It is used with the auxiliary haben to form perfect tenses, for example: Die Forscher haben die Probanden befragt. It can also function as an adjective or in passive constructions: Die Befragten wurden befragt; ein befragter Zeuge.

Origin and meaning: Befragen is be- plus fragen; the prefix be- marks a transitive action involving the subject directly and can convey interrogation or systematic inquiry. The root fragen denotes asking questions. The participle befraagt does not exist; beftragt is a confusion to avoid. The word belongs to standard German and is common in formal and academic contexts.

Usage: Befragt appears in science, market research, journalism, and administration. The related noun Befragung refers to the act of questioning, i.e., a survey or interview. Befragte is the plural noun for the people who were questioned, or the singular befragter Zeuge for an interviewed witness. Examples: Die Befragten gaben unterschiedliche Antworten. Eine Befragung wird häufig anonym durchgeführt.

Related terms and variants: befragen (the verb), fragen (to ask), ausfragen (to survey in depth), interviewen (to interview). The noun forms Befragung and Befragte are common in reports, studies, and official documents.

In summary, befraagt is not a separate word but the participle form used to indicate that questions have been asked of someone or a group, and it also functions adjectivally to describe those who have been questioned.