schaffen

Borrowed from German schaffen. Doublet of scheppen.

• IPA^(key): /ˈsxɑfə(n)/

• Audio:

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• Rhymes: -ɑfən

schaffen

1. (transitive) to procure

   Synonym: versieren

2. (transitive) to serve up

   Eten wat de pot schaft.

   To eat whatever is served.

• aanschaffen
• afschaffen

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃafn̩/, /ˈʃafən/

• Audio:

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• Audio:

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• Audio (Austria):

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• Hyphenation: schaf‧fen
• Rhymes: -afn̩

From Middle High German schaffen (strong declension), from Old High German skaffan, scaffan, scafan, scaphan, from Proto-West Germanic *skappjan. Compare Dutch scheppen and English shape.

schaffen (class 6 strong, third-person singular present schafft, past tense schuf, past participle geschaffen, past subjunctive schüfe, auxiliary haben)

1. (transitive) to create; to produce; to make; to cause; to establish

   Synonyms: hervorbringen, bewirken, kreieren

   • 1919, Rudolf Steiner, Allgemeine Menschenkunde als Grundlage der Pädagogik, Dornach, published 1992, page 143:

     Es kann aber nur Abhilfe geschaffen werden, wenn der Lehrer, der Unterrichtende, sich selbst fortwährend herausheben will aus dem Hausbackenen, Pedantischen, Philiströsen.

     This can only be solved if the teacher constantly releases himself from -- or lifts himself out of -- what is unadventurous, pedantic, narrow-minded.

• schöpfen

From Middle High German schaffen (weak declension), from Old High German skaffōn, ultimately from the root of schaben (“to scrape, scour”).

schaffen (weak, third-person singular present schafft, past tense schaffte, past participle geschafft, auxiliary haben)

1. (transitive, with es) to manage, to cope with

   Kannst du es um 9 Uhr schaffen?

   Can you make it at 9 a.m.

2. (transitive) to succeed with; to accomplish, achieve

   Synonyms: hinkriegen, hinbekommen

   Du hast es geschafft ― You did it! / You made it!

   Sie hat die Prüfung geschafft. ― She passed the exam.

3. (transitive) to convey; to carry; to take

   etwas aus der Welt schaffen ― to get rid of something (literally, “to take something out of the world”)

4. (intransitive, colloquial, chiefly Southern Germany) to work; to busy oneself

   Synonyms: ackern, arbeiten

   Ich schaffe in einer Fabrik. ― I work in a factory.

   Frohes Schaffen! (sometimes jocular)

   Keep up the good work! / Have a productive day!

   (literally, “Merry working!”)

   Schaffe, schaffe, Häusle baue (Swabian proverb)

   (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   (literally, “Work, work, build a little house”)

   • 1893, Paul Heyse, “F. V. R. I. A.”, in Gesammelte Werke, page 286:

     Als hätte sie meine Gedanken errathen, setzte sie hinzu: Mein Mann schafft den ganzen Tag in der Werkstatt, und da wir kein Kind haben, sitz' ich oft mit den Händen im Schooß. Ich bin ihm angelegen, ein Häuschen unten am Rhein zu kaufen, wo es lustiger wäre und man die Schiffe vorübersegeln sähe.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

• “schaffen” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “schaffen” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “schaffen” in Duden online
• “schaffen” in OpenThesaurus.de

From Middle High German schaffen, from Old High German scafan, from Proto-West Germanic *skappjan (“to create”). Cognate with German schaffen, Dutch scheppen, English shape.

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃɑfən/

schaffen (third-person singular present schafft, past participle geschafft, auxiliary verb hunn)

1. (intransitive) to work
2. (transitive) to do, to perform
3. (intransitive) to function, to work