prägst

prägst is the second-person singular present tense form of the German verb prägen. The verb itself has several closely related meanings, including to shape or form something physically, to imprint or press an image or impression onto a surface, and in a broader sense to influence or determine characteristics, opinions, or cultures. In everyday language, prägen is used for both literal and figurative imprinting, and its forms appear in contexts ranging from minting coins to shaping a person’s character.

In coinage and manufacturing, prägen describes the act of creating an imprint on metal to produce coins or medals: eine Münze prägen. In a figurative sense, the verb denotes shaping or influencing non-physical things, for example: eine Persönlichkeit, eine Haltung oder eine Erinnerung prägen. The phrase wird oft in contexts like “von … geprägt” used adjectivally or passively, as in eine Erfahrung hat ihn geprägt.

Etymologically, prägen is of Germanic origin and has developed a range of senses from the core idea of pressing or imprinting. The present form prägst is linked to the second-person singular subject Du, while other forms follow standard German verb conjugation: er prägt, wir prägen, ihr prägt, sie prägen. The past participle is geprägt, used with auxiliary haben, and the present participle is prägend.

Usage notes: prägen is transitive and commonly takes a direct object in literal uses and a direct or abstract object in figurative uses. The word is widely understood in both technical and everyday language.