heften

Heften is a German verb meaning to fasten, attach, or bind together, typically by means of a staple, clip, or adhesive. The term is commonly used for actions that involve organizing or securing sheets of paper or other small materials into a bundle or group. It can also refer to temporarily attaching items for a project or display.

In practical usage, heften is often employed in office and school contexts. Examples include stapling pages to form a packet or folder, or attaching notes to a board. The verb forms can be combined with prefixes to indicate related actions, such as anheften (to affix to a surface) or zusammenheften (to staple together). The choice of method—stapling, clipping, or gluing—depends on the context and the desired permanence of the attachment.

Related nouns and terms include das Heften (the act of stapling or binding), der Hefter (the stapler), and die Heftung (the binding process). The noun das Heft means notebook, which is etymologically related but semantically distinct and should not be confused with the verb.

Conjugation and forms: heften follows a regular pattern in the present tense, with ich hefte, du heftest, er/heftet, wir heften, ihr heftet, sie heften. The past participle is geheftet, used with the auxiliary haben (Ich habe die Seiten geheftet).

See also: anheften, zusammenheften, and terms for stapling hardware such as Heftklammern (staples) and Hefter (stapler).