prägt

präg t is a German verb (present tense form of prägen) with senses centered on shaping, stamping, or imprinting, and on leaving a lasting influence. Physically, es can mean to mold or coin a material, to stamp a surface, or to emboss a pattern. Figuratively, it denotes shaping someone or something through experience, events, or policies. In everyday language one can speak of a design that “präg t” an object or of an era that was “prägt” by certain happenings.

Grammatical notes: prägen is conjugated as a regular (weak) verb in the present tense: ich präge, du prägst, er prägt; wir prägen, ihr prägt, sie prägen. The past participle is geprägt and is used with the auxiliary haben in perfect tenses, for example: Ich habe das Muster geprägt. The simple past is prägte; er prägte das Design. The passive voice can be formed with wird/geprägt, e.g., Die Münze wird geprägt.

Noun forms related to prägen include Prägung (the act of imprinting or the minting of coins) and der Präger (the mint or die). A related verb is einprägen, meaning to imprint or ingrain in memory, which differs from prägen in its focus on memorization or internalization rather than external shaping.

Examples: Die Münze ist geprägt. Die Erfahrungen haben ihn geprägt. Die Politik wurde durch die Krise geprägt. These uses illustrate the two main domains of meaning—material imprinting and lasting influence.

Etymology: the verb originates in the native Germanic lexicon, with the core sense of marking or shaping reflected in its related nouns.