verb

anfassen

touch

Etwas mit der Hand berühren.

Definition & meaning

The verb anfassen has two primary meanings:

To touch or handle: This refers to the physical act of making contact with an object or person with one's hands. It often implies picking something up or checking it by touch (e.g., "Don't touch the wet paint").
To tackle or approach a task: In a figurative sense, it means to start working on a project, to take initiative, or to deal with a specific problem or challenge (e.g., "We need to tackle this problem now").

Grammar & Word origin

anfassen is a separable, transitive verb. In a sentence, the prefix an- is detached and moves to the end of the clause in main tenses (e.g., "Ich fasse das Glas an").

Grammatical structure: It is composed of the prefix an- (on/at) and the verb fassen (to seize/grasp/comprehend).
Origin: It comes from Middle High German anvazzan, combining the preposition an with the root vazzan, meaning to grasp or hold.