die Fassung bewahren

to keep one's composure

Türkçe: kendine hâkim olmak

Not die Fassung halten

English says to keep, so halten is the verb that comes to mind. German does not take it here. Fassung goes with bewahren, and the pairing is fixed — it is not a rule you can work out, only one you can learn.

Noun

Fassung f.

Verb

bewahren

Topic

Gefühle und Geist

In a sentence

Trotz des Tumults bewahrt der Richter die Fassung und bleibt ruhig.

How it is used

Means 'to keep one's composure' and remain calm under pressure. Neutral to formal register, used in business or crisis. A German speaker might say this during a tense negotiation. Common mistake: using 'bewahren' only for physical objects.

Other verbs that go with Fassung

This is the choice the collocation turns on.

• jdn. aus der Fassung bringento throw someone off balance
• außer Fassung geratento lose one's composure
• etw. mit Fassung tragento bear something with composure
• die Fassung verlierento lose one's composure

All collocations with Fassung

Other collocations built on bewahren

• Achtung bewahrento maintain composure and respect, especially under pressure
• ruhig Blut bewahrento keep calm or stay cool
• jdn. vor einer Dummheit bewahrento prevent someone from doing something foolish
• im Gedächtnis bewahrento preserve in memory
• kühlen Kopf bewahrento keep a cool head
• Ruhe bewahrento keep calm / remain composed
• Stillschweigen bewahrento maintain silence