German

Noun

Hängen m

1. dative plural of Hang

German

Alternative forms

• hangen (generally archaic, but still sometimes in the South)

Verb

hängen ‎(class 7 strong, third-person singular simple present hängt, past tense hing or (nonstandard) hang, past participle gehangen, past subjunctive hinge, auxiliary haben)

1. (intransitive) to hang; to be suspended

   Der Apfel hängt am Baum.

   The apple hangs on the tree.

2. (intransitive) to be attached to; to be fond of; to be devoted to; to cling to

   Er hängt sehr an seiner Schwester.

   He is very attached to his sister.

3. (intransitive, somewhat informal) to depend on

   Es hängt alles daran, wie du dich entscheidest.

   It all depends on what decision you take.

4. (transitive, colloquial, otherwise proscribed) to hang something; to suspend

   Ich hab meine Jacke an die Garderobe gehangen.

   I’ve hung my jacket on the hallstand.

Conjugation

Synonyms

• (hang): baumeln
• (depend): abhängen; abhängig sein

Derived terms

• abhängen
• anhängen
• aufhängen
• hängenbleiben
• hängenlassen
• Hänger

Etymology 2

From Middle High German hengen, that is “verb 3” in etymology 1. See above.

Verb

hängen ‎(third-person singular simple present hängt, past tense hängte, past participle gehängt, auxiliary haben)

1. (transitive) to hang something; to suspend

   Ich habe meine Jacke an die Garderobe gehängt.

   I’ve hung my jacket on the hallstand.

2. (transitive) to hang someone; to execute by hanging

   Wenn er verurteilt wird, hängen sie ihn.

   If he’s convicted, they’re going to hang him.

3. (reflexive) to hang on to; to follow

   Häng dich an deine Schwester, die weiß Bescheid.

   Hang on to your sister, she knows how things work.

Conjugation

Synonyms

• (execute): henken (dated)

Usage notes

• The verb is generally construed with the preposition an. It is followed by the dative case in intransitive use, and the accusative case in transitive or reflexive use.

Low German

Etymology

From Old Saxon hengian, from Proto-Germanic *hangijaną. See also hangen.

Verb

hängen ‎(third-person singular simple present hängt, past tense häng, past participle hängt, auxiliary verb hebben)

1. (transitive) to hang (something); to suspend
2. (transitive) to hang (someone), e.g. for a crime
3. (reflexive, with “an ...”) to hang on (to something)
4. (intransitive) to hang; to be suspended (hangen is usually preferred in this sense)
5. (intransitive) to stick; to cling (hangen is usually preferred in this sense)
6. (intransitive, figuratively, with an) to be fond of, to feel strongly about (hangen is usually preferred in this sense)

   Bochum, ik häng an di.‎

   Bochum, I'm fond of you.

   # (transitive) to hang

Conjugation

Usage notes

Hängen has a doublet with nearly the same meaning and usage, hangen. However, hängen is usually preferred in its transitive meaning, while hangen is more commonly used as an intransitive verb.

The strong preterite forms ik hung, du hungst, he hung, ... are sometimes found instead of the normal weak forms ik häng, du hängst, he häng, ... due to confusion with hangen.