No. 13,829 in German
erschrecken
To frighten or be frightened.
In a sentence
Er erschreckte mich mit seinem plötzlichen Auftauchen.
He startled me with his sudden appearance.
In this context, 'erschreckte' is used as the past tense of the verb 'erschrecken', meaning 'to startle or scare'. The sentence illustrates causing someone else to feel startled or scared.
Ich erschrak, als ich das laute Geräusch hörte.
I got startled when I heard the loud noise.
Here, 'erschrak' is in the past tense of the intransitive usage, 'sich erschrecken', which indicates the subject themselves felt startled or scared.
Dieses Buch erschreckte ihn, weil es so spannend war.
This book scared him because it was so thrilling.
In this sentence, 'erschreckte' is used as the past tense of the transitive verb, showing that the book caused him to feel fear or suspense.
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