fragen (nach)

based on: *prek-

hat gefragt

fragte

Meanings

to ask

(Note that "fragen" is actually one of VERY FEW verbs in German that take two direct objects. So both ther person you ask and the thing you ask is in Accusative. Alternatively, you can also connect the thing in question with "nach".)

Opposite (closest): antworten (auf)

Word Family tap to show/hide

Root: *prek-

The core idea of this root was:

asking, pleading

The German fragen is on the more neutral side, as are the Slavic children of this root which are also about asking. The English to pray shifted toward a very “intense” and specific pleading.
German forschen (to do research) is more proactive, but at the core of it is also a question.

The Latin branch shifted a bit toward the idea of depending on the will of someone else. In English, this then shifted toward uncertain, risky, dangerous That’s where precarious and deprecate are from.

fragen (nach)

Meanings

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