verb
to display, to report (to the police)
B1
anzeigen: separable verb meaning 'to display' or 'to report/denounce' (e.g., to the police). Regular weak verb with auxiliary haben; participle angezeigt. Present separable form: er zeigt an. Non‑reflexive. Use 'an' as separable prefix, and context determines meaning—interface/display vs. formal police report. Imperative: Zeig an! Zeigen Sie an! Used in law.
Examples
Der Zeuge zeigte den Diebstahl an, nachdem er die Details notierte.
The witness reported the theft after he wrote down the details.
Der Zeuge zeigte den Unfall an.
The witness reported the accident.
Jemand zeigt den Dieb bei der Polizei an.
Someone is reporting the thief to the police.
Details
Mnemonics
Imagine turning on a screen and the word 'ANZEIGEN' appearing at the top, like a label popping up.
sounds like 'announce' (both start with a similar 'an'/'an' sound)
n/a
Notes
The verb 'anzeigen' is separable: in main-clause finite forms the prefix 'an' moves to the end (ich zeige das an). It has two common meanings: 'to display' (e.g., on a screen) and 'to report' (e.g., to the police).