besitzt

Besitzen is a German verb meaning to own or possess. It expresses formal or legal ownership of property, rights, or possessions, and can refer to tangible items as well as intangible assets such as licenses or patents. The corresponding noun is Besitz, and the typical owner is der Besitzer (masculine) or die Besitzerin (feminine).

Grammatically, besitz en is used like other regular verbs in the present tense. The third-person singular present form is besitzt, as in Er besitzt ein Auto. The full present-tense paradigm is ich besitze, du besitzt, er besitzt, wir besitzen, ihr besitzt, sie besitzen. The formal Sie besitzen is capitalized. The past participle is besessen, used with haben to form the perfect: Ich habe besessen. The Präteritum (simple past) exists, but in everyday speech the Perfekt is more common.

Usage notes: Besitzen emphasizes ownership and possession more strongly than the general haber-like sense of having. It applies to concrete assets (houses, cars) as well as intangible ones (patents, licenses). It is often preferred over verfügen über when the focus is on actual ownership rather than available resources; disponer über or verfügen über express “to have at one’s disposal” and may be used in different nuances.

See also: Besitz, Eigentum, Besitzer, Verfügen über.