verb
to receive, to welcome
B1
'Empfangen' means 'to receive' or 'to welcome'. It's a strong, irregular verb (Präteritum empfing, Partizip II empfangen) that uses haben as auxiliary. Non‑reflexive. Present stem shows vowel change (ich empfange, du empfängst, er empfängt). Can form passive ('wird empfangen') and is used for people or signals.
Examples
Ich habe ein Paket empfangen.
I received a package.
Der Präsident empfing die Delegation, als sie in der Stadt ankam.
The president received the delegation when it arrived in the city.
Wir empfingen die Gäste mit Musik und Blumen.
We welcomed the guests with music and flowers.
Details
Mnemonics
Picture a person catching a parcel in both hands when you imagine 'empfangen'.
empfangen — sounds a bit like 'I'm fang' (imagine a fang catching something) to recall 'receive'.
Notes
A strong (irregular) verb. Common meanings include 'to receive' (objects, messages, signals) and 'to welcome' (people). Uses 'haben' as auxiliary in compound tenses.