erhalten

receive

verb er-HAL-ten Common

Also means

preserve

Usage Note

erhalten (strong, no ge- in the past participle: erhalten) is the formal word for 'receive', preferred over bekommen in official writing. A second sense is 'to preserve/maintain', as in ein Gebäude erhalten.

Examples

"Wir haben Ihren Brief erhalten."

Natural Translation

We have received your letter.

Literal Translation

We have your letter received.

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