berühren
/bəˈryːrən/
The German phrase for "touch" can be expressed by several verbs, most commonly berühren. Wiktionary also lists anfassen and angreifen.
Meaning: make physical contact with (verb)
Ways to say it
| German | IPA |
|---|---|
| berühren | /bəˈryːrən/ |
| anfassen | /ˈanˌfasən/ |
| angreifen | /ˈanɡʁaɪ̯fən/ |
To express the act of making physical contact, you can use anfassen, angreifen or berühren. The noun Berührung describes the act of touching or the state of being in contact, while the noun Touch refers to a distinguishing feature.
Which one should you use?
Use berühren for a more neutral or formal sense of contact, often used for light contact or when referring to things like surfaces or emotions.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
anfassen is a separable verb, so in a simple sentence, the prefix an moves to the end: Ich fasse den Knopf an. The verb berühren is an inseparable verb, meaning the prefix be- stays attached to the stem in all conjugations.
How do you pronounce it?
/bəˈryːrən/
Did you know?
- If you use angreifen regarding a person, you are not just touching them, but actually 'assaulting' or 'attacking' them, which carries a much heavier legal and social weight than a simple touch.
- The root of berühren comes from rühren, which also means 'to stir'. This suggests that the original concept of touching involved a stirring or moving motion.
- The word Berührung is used in the phrase Berührungspunkte haben, which literally means 'to have points of contact', but is used idiomatically to mean 'to have things in common'.
Examples in context
- Darf ich es anfassen?Can I touch it?The sentence is useful for asking permission to touch something using anfassen.Tatoeba #1836287 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1832174 by Spamster
- Nicht das Glas berühren.Don't touch the glass.The sentence is useful for a warning not to touch something using berühren.Tatoeba #1302935 by Vortarulo, translation #532734 by blay_paul
- Nicht den Knopf anfassen!Don't touch the button.The sentence is useful for a warning not to touch something using anfassen.Tatoeba #2630252 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #453517 by CM
- Können Sie das bitte nicht anfassen?Could you please not touch that?
- Bitte berühren Sie den Bildschirm nichtPlease do not touch the screen.
- 84 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maximilian and Julia are visiting an art gallery.
- MaximilianKann man die Skulptur berühren?Can one touch the sculpture?
- JuliaNein, das ist streng verboten.No, that is strictly forbidden.
- MaximilianIch wollte es nur kurz berühren.I just wanted to touch it for a moment.
- JuliaBitte lass es lieber bleiben, Maximilian.Please just leave it alone, Maximilian.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “touch” translations and entries berühren, anfassen, angreifen, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
