verb
to eat (of animals), to devour
B1
fressen is a strong, irregular verb meaning 'to eat' for animals or 'to devour'. Use haben as auxiliary. Present stem change e->i (du/er frisst), preterite fraß, participle gefressen. Not reflexive; avoid for polite human eating (use essen). Can be used figuratively (to gobble).
Examples
Der Hund fraß sein Futter schnell.
The dog ate its food quickly.
Der Hund fraß das ganze Brot in wenigen Minuten und verschlang es regelrecht.
The dog devoured the whole loaf of bread in minutes.
Die Katze frisst ihr Futter.
The cat is eating its food.
Details
Mnemonics
Picture a hungry animal gobbling its food with messy bites.
Sounds like English 'fret' but think 'fress' -> 'feast' image for devouring.
N/A
Notes
fressen is used for animals eating (or figuratively to mean 'to devour'). Using fressen for people is rude; use essen for humans. Past participle: gefressen. Konjunktiv I Präteritum: not applicable — Konjunktiv I is formed from present forms and past is usually expressed periphrastically (Perfekt).