erfassen

Erfassen is a German verb with several related meanings: it can mean to capture or apprehend someone or something, to seize physically, to grasp or understand mentally, and to record, register, or collect data or entries in a system or file.

As an inseparable prefix verb with er-, erfassen forms the perfect with haben: Ich habe die Daten erfasst. The present tense is: ich erfasse, du erfasst, er erfasst, wir erfassen, ihr erfasst, sie erfassen. The root verb fassen means to grasp or seize, and er- adds a sense of completion or result to the action in many uses.

In usage, erfassen appears in diverse contexts. In law enforcement, it denotes capturing a suspect: Die Polizei konnte den Verdächtigen schnell erfassen. In data processing and administration, es bedeutet entering or documenting information: Die Erfassungsdaten werden im System erfasst. In cognitive or perceptual contexts, es beschreibt understanding or perceiving: Ich kann den Sachverhalt noch nicht erfassen.

Noun forms include die Erfassung, referring to the act of recording or capturing as well as the data that has been captured. Related verbs and terms include fassen (to grasp), aufnehmen (to record or include), festhalten (to document or retain), and verstehen (to understand).

Erfassen thus covers both physical Capture and abstract grasp as well as the practical act of data entry, making it a versatile term across law, administration, computing, and everyday language.