tragen

Tragen is a German verb with several related meanings centered on carrying or bearing something. Its core senses include physical transport or support (to carry a load or to carry someone), wearing or donning clothing (to wear a hat), bearing or sustaining non-physical things such as responsibility or a burden (to bear responsibility, to carry a burden), and enduring or withstanding hardship (to endure a situation). It can also refer to pregnancy, as in a woman who is carrying a child, and to fruit or produce that a plant bears (the tree trägt Früchte).

Grammatical notes: Tragen is a strong/irregular verb. Present indicative forms: ich trage, du trägst, er trägt, wir tragen, ihr tragt, sie tragen. Simple past (Präteritum): ich trug, du trugst, er trug, wir trugen, ihr trugt, sie trugen. Perfect: ich habe getragen. The past participle is getragen. The second and third person singular present forms include an umlaut: trägst and trägt.

Usage examples: ich trage eine Tasche (I am carrying a bag); er trägt einen Mantel (he is wearing a coat); sie trägt eine schwere Last (she bears a heavy load); der Baum trägt Früchte (the tree bears fruit); sie trägt ein Kind (she is pregnant). In biology and medicine, Träger denotes a carrier of a genetic trait (eine Trägerin des Gens). In compounds, Träger or Trägerin can mean carrier, bearer, or support structure.

Etymology: Tragen derives from Old High German tragan, from a Proto-Germanic root related to carrying. It has cognates in other West Germanic languages, such as Dutch dragen. The verb forms a broad family used in everyday speech for both concrete and abstract carrying meanings.