umarmen

Umarmen is a German verb meaning to hug or embrace someone by drawing them into one’s arms and holding them closely. It is used to express affection, comfort, greeting, or celebration and can refer to people in everyday interactions as well as to symbolic uses such as embracing an idea.

Grammatical notes: umarmen is a transitive verb and takes a direct object in the accusative (Ich umarme dich; Er umarmt seine Freundin). Common present tense forms are: ich umarme, du umarmst, er umarmt, wir umarmen, ihr umarmt, sie umarmen. The simple past is umarmte (ich umarmte, du umarmtest, er umarmte, wir umarmten, ihr umarmtet, sie umarmten), and the perfect tense is formed with haben: ich habe umarmt, du hast umarmt, er hat umarmt, etc. The verb also appears in the reflexive sense: Wir umarmen uns (we hug each other).

Reflexive and nuances: The reflexive form sich umarmen often emphasizes mutuality or a shared moment of affection, as in Wir umarmen uns beim Abschied. In figurative usage, umarmen can describe accepting or adopting an idea, policy, or tradition, though this is less common than more precise verbs like akzeptieren or annehmen.

Etymology and related terms: The verb is formed with the prefix um- attached to a root related to the noun Arm (arm), conveying the sense of surrounding someone with one’s arms. A related noun is die Umarmung (the hug), which denotes the act itself.

Cultural note: In German-speaking contexts, hugs are common among friends and family but may be more restrained in formal or unfamiliar settings, where a handshake is typical. See also Umarmung.