zugeworfen

Zugeworfen is the past participle of the German verb zuwerfen, a separable-prefix verb composed of zu- and werfen (to throw). The participle form is zugeworfen and it is used with auxiliary haben in perfect tenses. The word has two primary senses in everyday use.

The first sense is to throw something to someone, i.e., to toss an object toward a recipient. In this usage the structure typically involves a dative recipient and an accusative object, for example: Ich werfe dir den Ball zu. In the perfect, the prefix is separated: Ich habe dir den Ball zugeworfen. This sense emphasizes a quick, directed transfer of an item.

The second sense is to shut or close something by throwing, as in Fenster, Tür, oder Vorhänge: Ich werfe das Fenster zu or Ich habe die Tür zugeworfen. Here zuwerfen means to slam or close by throwing, and the prefix remains separable in finite forms (in the perfect, zugeworfen).

Figurative use can arise as well, such as zuwerfen in the sense of abruptly assigning or thrusting something upon someone, for example: Der Vorgesetzte warf dem Team eine neue Aufgabe zu. In all cases, zuwerfen is a transitive verb and its prefix zu- is separable in the finite verb forms.

Related terms include werfen (the base verb) and zuschlagen (another sense of closing forcefully). The word zugeworfen is commonly encountered in written and spoken German.