erhalten

Erhalten is a German verb with two principal senses. The most common meaning is to receive or obtain something from someone else, often in formal or official contexts. The second sense is to preserve or keep something in a certain condition, as in the phrase gut erhalten, meaning well preserved. The verb can also appear in phrases about maintaining or continuing possession or status, such as recognizing that information or goods have been obtained or preserved.

Conjugation is regular for a strong verb with the prefix er-. In the present tense: ich erhalte, du erhältst, er erhält, wir erhalten, ihr erhaltet, sie erhalten. The simple past (Präteritum) forms are: erhielt, erhieltest, erhielt, erhielten, erhieltet, erhielten. The perfect (Perfekt) tense is formed with haben: ich habe erhalten, du hast erhalten, er hat erhalten, wir haben erhalten, ihr habt erhalten, sie haben erhalten. The past participle is erhalten.

Usage notes:

- In everyday speech, bekomen (bekommen) is often used for “to receive,” while erhalten carries a more formal or official tone, as in erhalten eine Einladung or eine Nachricht erhalten.

- The sense “to preserve” appears in adjective phrases like gut erhalten (well preserved) or in contexts describing the condition of objects, buildings, or documents, e.g., ein gut erhaltenes Original.

Etymology: erhalten derives from the prefix er- plus halten (to hold) and has developed to mean both obtaining and preserving through its historical usage. Related nouns include das Erhalten, referring to the act of receiving or preserving.