fest|halten
Translation
to hold on to, to record, to stick to, to detain
Examples
Halte dich am Geländer fest.
Hold on to the railing.
Wir müssen das Ergebnis schriftlich festhalten.
We have to record the result in writing.
Er hält an seiner Meinung fest.
He is sticking to his opinion.
Die Polizei hielt den Dieb fest.
The police detained the thief.
Grammar Patterns
((sich)) ((an+3)) to hold on to sth. Hold on to the railing.
((et4)) to record sth. We are recording the agreement in the contract.
((an+3)) to stick to sth. He sticks to his opinion.
((j-n)) to detain sb. The police are detaining the suspect.
Similar Words
Synonyms: to grasp, to record, to insist; Antonym: loslassen (to let go)
Etymology
From 'fest' (firm, solid) + 'halten' (to hold). Literally 'to hold firm'.
Memory Tips
Imagine you have to 'hold fast' to a rope in a storm. 'fest' sounds like 'fast'.