Meaning 1neutral · 82%
To make someone feel wonder or strong surprise.
Natural examples
Die genaue Vorhersage erstaunte selbst die Meteorologin.
The precise forecast surprised even the meteorologist.
Seine ruhige Antwort erstaunte die ganze Runde.
His calm answer surprised everyone in the group.
Der schnelle Fortschritt erstaunt die Lehrerin.
The rapid progress astonishes the teacher.
Usage note
In this sense erstaunen takes an accusative object and uses haben; erstaunt sein describes a state.
Mini-lesson: erstaunen
To make someone feel wonder or strong surprise. In this sense erstaunen takes an accusative object and uses haben; erstaunt sein describes a state.
Check your learning
Choose one answer.Which definition matches «erstaunen»?