verb
to fear, to dread
B1
Means 'to fear' or 'to dread'. Regular weak verb with haben as auxiliary (participle gefürchtet). Can be transitive (fürchten etwas) or reflexive (sich fürchten vor + D); the reflexive form expresses being afraid of something. Not separable; retains ü in stem; no irregular vowel alternation.
Examples
Er fürchtete sich vor der Dunkelheit.
He was afraid of the dark.
Viele Menschen fürchten die Höhe.
Many people fear heights.
Sie hat sich vor dem Hund gefürchtet.
She was afraid of the dog.
Details
Mnemonics
visualize someone shrinking back in fear as a shadow approaches
sounds like 'four-chten' — think 'fear' in the first syllable
Notes
Can be used transitively (fürchten etwas) or reflexively (sich fürchten vor + D). The examples here show non-reflexive usage. Past participle: gefürchtet.