How to say "to capture" in German

The German word for “caught”, both in the sense of a ball that has been apprehended as well as a fugitive that has been captured is “gefangen” (from the verb “fangen”, meaning “to catch”). This word can also mean “trapped”, “imprisoned” and “ensnared”:

– “Ich habe den Ball gefangen.” – “I caught the ball.”
– “Das ist der gefangene Ball.” – “That’s the caught ball.”
– “Ich bin hier gefangen.” – “I am trapped/imprisoned here.”
– “Der Flüchtling wurde gefangen.” – “The fugitive was captured.”

The German word for “prisoner” is “Gefangene” (m.) or “Häftling” (m.), and the word for “prison” is “Gefängnis” (n.):

– “Der Gefangene sitzt im Gefängnis.” – “The prisoner is sitting in prison.”
– “Ein Gefangener wird im Gefängnis gefangen gehalten.” – “A prisoner is kept imprisoned in the prison.”

Relatedly, the word for a “convict” is “Sträfling” (m.) (from Strafe (f.), meaning “punishment” or “penalty”) and a “chained convict” is “Kettensträfling”.


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