verb
to care for, to look after, to maintain
B1
pflegen: means to care for, to look after, or to maintain. Regular weak verb (pflegte, gepflegt) using auxiliary haben. Non-reflexive typically and takes an accusative object (jemanden/etwas pflegen). Not separable. Forms passive (gepflegt werden). Common in nursing, maintenance, or habitual actions (etwas zu pflegen).
Examples
Wir pflegen die Maschinen regelmäßig, damit sie reibungslos laufen.
We maintain the machines regularly so they run smoothly.
Sie pflegte ihre kranke Mutter.
She cared for her sick mother.
Er pflegt den kleinen Garten hinter dem Haus.
He looks after the small garden behind the house.
Details
Mnemonics
picture a nurse gently caring for a patient, repeating 'pflegen' while tending to them
sounds a bit like 'flag' + 'en' — imagine a caregiver 'flagging' attention to a patient
Notes
pflegen is used both for taking care of people (medical/hands-on care) and for maintaining objects or relationships. In nursing contexts it often collocates with Patienten, Senioren, Kranken. Formal imperative ('Sie') is marked 'not applicable' in the conjugation table because conjugation values must not include personal pronouns; the formal imperative requires the pronoun 'Sie'.