fassen

Fassen is a German verb with several closely related meanings centered on grasping or taking hold of something, whether physically, conceptually, or procedurally. The primary sense is to seize or hold an object: to grasp a ball, to take hold of a hand, or to catch a thief. It also extends to arrest or apprehend someone in a law-enforcement sense.

A second major use is cognitive: to understand or grasp a concept, idea, or situation. Common expressions include ich fasse es nicht (I don’t understand or I can’t grasp it) and etwas in den Griff fassen (to get a handle on something). The verb can also denote interpreting or absorbing information, as in etwas auffassen or Informationen fassen.

Fassen is used in several fixed formations. Zusammenfassen means to summarize or to compile a concise statement, and is typically used with the verb in two parts (ich fasse zusammen; er fasst die Punkte zusammen). Anfassen means to touch or to handle physically. Sich fassen means to compose oneself or to gain control of one’s emotions, as in sich fassen.

Conjugation and forms: the verb fassen is conjugated as follows in the present tense: ich fasse, du fasst, er fasst, wir fassen, ihr fasst, sie fassen. The simple past (Präteritum) is ich fasste, du fasstest, er fasste, wir fassten, ihr fasstet, sie fassten. The past participle is gefasst, used with haben in the perfect tense (ich habe gefasst, er hat gefasst). The verb is not separable in its bare form, but many related forms involve separable prefixes, such as zusammenfassen (to summarize) and antofassen/anfassen (to touch or to approach, depending on context).