taugt

Taugt is the third-person singular present indicative form of the German verb taugen. The verb taugen means to be suitable or adequate for a purpose, to serve a function, or to be of use. In use, it evaluates whether something meets a need or standard and can refer to concrete objects as well as more abstract considerations.

Usage and register: Taugen appears most often in slightly formal, literary, or regional speech and is less common in everyday modern German, where speakers may opt for verbs like passen, geeignet sein, or reichen. Common examples include phrases such as "Das taugt nichts" (that won’t do) and "Das taugt mir" (that suits me). The expression can convey adequacy for a task or purpose, and its tone may range from neutral to mildly archaic or regional depending on context.

Conjugation notes: In present tense, the forms include ich tauge, du taugst, er/sie/es taugt, wir taugen, ihr taugt, sie taugen; taugt is specifically the form used for the third-person singular. The verb also has past forms such as taugte and the participle getaugt in tense constructions, though usage of the perfect with taugen is comparatively rare in everyday speech.

Origin and usage context: Taugen is a longstanding Germanic verb with roots in older stages of the language. Today, taugen tends to appear in more formal, literary, or regional varieties and is often replaced by more common synonyms in everyday speech.