verb

tasten

feel · grope

Etwas mit den Fingern langsam fühlen, um es zu prüfen oder zu finden.

The verb tasten has two primary meanings depending on the context:

To touch or feel: It refers to the physical act of exploring something with one's fingers or hands to determine its texture, shape, or position, especially when vision is impaired (e.g., in the dark).
To grope or feel one's way: It describes moving cautiously, often without being able to see, by reaching out to find support or a path (e.g., "sich vorwärtstasten").

In some contexts, it can also refer to the act of using a keyboard, though this is more commonly associated with the noun Taste.

Grammar: It is a weak verb. Its conjugation is: ich taste, du tastest, er/sie/es tastet, wir tasten, ihr tastet, sie tasten. The past tense is tastete and the past participle is getastet.
Word origin: It derives from the Middle High German tasten, which meant to touch, feel, or handle. It is closely related to the noun Taste (key/button), as both share the root concept of physical contact.

Synonyms:

befühlen (to feel/touch)
betasten (to palpate/touch)
abfühlen (to sense/feel out)
fingern (to finger/fumble)
sich orientieren [?](vocabuo://word/sich orientieren) (to orient oneself, often used with sich vorwärtstasten)

Antonyms:

Make “tasten” part of your vocabulary.

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Du tastest im Dunkeln nach dem Lichtschalter.verb

You feel for the light switch in the dark.

Er tastet im Dunkeln nach der Taschenlampe.verb

He gropes in the dark for the flashlight.

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