All German word comparisons · Back to the topic overview
Meaning, sentence patterns and examples
| Word | Core meaning | Typical context | Grammar |
|---|---|---|---|
| halten | hold; maintain; stop | physical holding and many fixed phrases | Strong: hielt, hat gehalten; accusative object in the holding sense. |
| behalten | keep; retain | possessions, information and qualities | Inseparable; behielt, hat behalten; accusative object. |
| erhalten | receive; preserve | messages, benefits and preservation | Inseparable; erhielt, hat erhalten; accusative object. |
| enthalten | contain; include | ingredients, documents and prices | Inseparable; enthielt, hat enthalten; accusative contents. |
halten
Meaning and usage: Halten often describes holding an object physically. It has many other senses, including stopping and keeping a commitment. Keep a promise with ein Versprechen halten.
Grammar: Strong, nonseparable: hält, hielt, hat gehalten. In the physical sense, take an accusative object. Halten für + accusative expresses considering someone or something a certain way; these are different constructions.
Kannst du kurz meine Tasche halten?
Can you hold my bag for a moment?
behalten
Meaning and usage: Behalten emphasizes that something stays with you or is not lost, given back or forgotten. You can keep an item, retain your composure or remember a number. Unlike holding physically, keeping an object does not require touching it.
Grammar: Strong and inseparable: behält, behielt, hat behalten. Takes an accusative object. In etwas für sich behalten, für sich signals not sharing information; the reflexive pronoun follows für, not the verb alone.
Den Stadtplan kannst du für die nächste Reise behalten.
You can keep the city map for your next trip.
erhalten
Meaning and usage: Erhalten may describe something coming to you, such as a reply or payment. It also means maintaining something's existence or condition. The object and context determine whether the English equivalent is receive or preserve.
Grammar: Strong and inseparable: erhält, erhielt, hat erhalten. Both receiving and preserving normally take an accusative object. Von + dative can name the sender. Sich erhalten describes continuing to exist or being preserved.
Ich habe heute eine schriftliche Bestätigung erhalten.
I received written confirmation today.
Die Stadt möchte das alte Gebäude erhalten.
The city wants to preserve the old building.
enthalten
Meaning and usage: Enthalten identifies what is inside or included. A document contains information; a price may include an extra service. Sich enthalten is a separate elevated construction meaning abstaining, often used for votes, rather than containing oneself.
Grammar: Strong and inseparable: enthält, enthielt, hat enthalten. Containing takes accusative. Included content can be described as in + dative enthalten. In the abstaining sense, sich enthalten may take genitive: sich der Stimme enthalten.
Der Preis enthält bereits die Versandkosten.
The price already includes shipping costs.
Overlap and context
Halten and behalten overlap in some ideas of retaining or maintaining, but their collocations differ. Erhalten and behalten may both concern preserving a state; erhalten can also mean receiving it in the first place. Context identifies erhalten’s meaning.
Common mistakes
- Do not translate every erhalten as 'receive': eine Tradition erhalten means preserving it.
- In the present, remember hält, behält, erhält and enthält.
- Enthalten and erhalten differ by more than one letter: containing a document is not receiving it.
Memory aid: Hold it, keep it, receive or preserve it, then ask what it contains.
Try it
Complete: Die E-Mail ___ einen Link zum Formular.
Show the answer
enthält
The link is part of the email's contents.