empfunden

Empfunden is the past participle of the German verb empfinden, which means to feel, perceive, or sense. It covers both physical sensations and emotional or cognitive perceptions. In standard usage it appears in two main ways: as part of the perfect tenses and as an adjective describing perception.

As a participle used with haben, empfunden forms the present perfect and other compound tenses: Ich habe Schmerz empfunden. Du hast Freude empfunden. The simple past is empfand (ich empfand, wir empfanden). In passive or impersonal constructions it can appear with appropriate auxiliaries as well, for example: Es wird als unfair empfunden.

As an adjective, empfunden can describe how something is perceived, often in evaluative contexts. It can be used attributively, with inflection, as in phrases like empfundene Reaktion or empfundenes Verhalten, or appear in a subordinate clause after als in constructions like als unfair empfundenes Verhalten. In everyday language, it commonly conveys that a feeling or perception is held by someone.

Etymology: Empfinden comes from the prefix emp- plus finden (to find), originally conveying a sense of perceiving or discovering inwardly. The sense of feeling or sensing has remained central in modern German.

Usage notes: empfunden tends to be used for emotional, subjective, or interpretive perceptions as opposed to purely physical sensations. It is common in formal, descriptive, or academic writing. Synonyms include fühlen and spüren, though empfinden often carries a nuance of a considered or evaluative perception rather than mere touch.

Examples:

- Ich habe Schmerz empfun­den. (I felt pain.)

- Sie empfand Freude über die Nachricht. (She felt joy about the news.)

- Das Verhalten wurde als unfair empfunden. (The behavior was perceived as unfair.)