verb
to frighten, to be startled
B1
Erschrecken can mean 'to frighten (someone)' or 'to be startled'. It's a strong (irregular) verb with stem-vowel alternation (erschreck-/erschrick-; preterite erschrak). Uses both auxiliaries: haben when transitive (hat erschreckt), sein when intransitive/perceptive (ist erschrocken). Past participles: erschreckt/erschrocken. Imperative form 'erschrick!' exists; participle choice depends on transitivity.
Examples
Der Hund erschreckte die Besucher, als er plötzlich laut bellte.
The dog frightened the visitors when it suddenly barked loudly.
Ich bin durch das Geräusch kurz erschrocken.
I was briefly startled by the noise.
Der laute Knall erschreckte die Kinder.
The loud bang frightened the children.
Details
Mnemonics
Picture someone jumping when a loud noise appears — they are startled.
Sounds like 'air-shreck-en' — think of a sudden 'shrek' style scare.
n/a
Notes
erschrecken has two common senses: transitive (to frighten someone) and intransitive (to be startled). The perfect tense can be formed with haben (transitive: hat erschreckt) or sein (intransitive: ist erschrocken). The past tense stem changes (erschrak) in strong uses.