verb
to grab, to seize, to reach for
B1
Means 'to grab', 'to seize' or 'to reach for' physically or figuratively. Strong/irregular verb: present stem greif-, preterite griff, participle gegriffen. Uses haben as auxiliary in perfect (ich habe gegriffen). Not separable. Common collocation: 'nach etwas greifen' (to reach for).
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.EXAMPLES
Ich greife nach dem Buch.
I'm reaching for the book.
Er griff nach der Kaffeetasse.
He reached for the coffee cup.
Die Polizei griff den Verdächtigen nach kurzer Verfolgung.
The police seized the suspect after a short chase.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.DETAILS_LABEL
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.MNEMONICS
imagine a hand quickly closing around an object to 'grab' it
think 'grip' (similar sound and meaning)
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.NOTES
A strong (irregular) verb. Often used for physical grabbing or figurative 'seizing' (e.g., opportunities). Formal imperative (Sie) is not provided here because it requires the pronoun 'Sie' and pronouns are disallowed in conjugation fields.