Before you start
Meet anstehen
Read how the verb is used, then write your own 10 sentences with it.
All 8 meanings
- (intransitive) to stand in a queue
- (intransitive) to be pending, to be upcoming, to be on the agenda, to be due
- (intransitive, dated) to befit
- (intransitive) (mining, geology) to protrude
- (intransitive, Austria, dated, with auf) to be dependent on something or someone [auxiliary sein]
- (intransitive, Austria) to be too much for (someone) (e.g. of food) [auxiliary sein]
Build the meaning
an- + stehen
- an-
- at or up to a particular point
- stehen
- to stand
People stand at a point, waiting their turn in a line.
So anstehen means to queue; to wait in line.
A memory aid, not a rule: prefixes change meaning from verb to verb.
Learning approach inspired by this explanation in r/German.
Separable verb: an·stehen
In a main clause the prefix an splits off and goes to the end. After weil, dass and other subordinating words, the verb stays in one piece at the end.
Main clauseDie Gäste stehen vor dem Eingang an.The guests are queuing in front of the entrance.
Subordinate clauseSie warten, weil sie vor dem Laden anstehen.They are waiting because they are queuing in front of the shop.
Participle: angestandenzu-infinitive: anzustehen
Forms
How anstehen changes
| Pronoun | Präsens | Präteritum |
|---|---|---|
| ich | stehe an | stand an |
| du | stehst an | standest an |
| er/sie/es | steht an | stand an |
| wir | stehen an | standen an |
| ihr | steht an | standet an |
| Sie | stehen an | standen an |
Partizip II angestanden · Perfekt with haben
Three examples
- 1Vor dem Kino stehen viele Leute an.Many people are lining up in front of the cinema.prefix goes to the end
- 2Wir haben lange angestanden.We waited in line for a long time.Perfekt with haben
- 3Ich weiß, dass wir hier anstehen müssen.I know that we have to queue here.verb at the end after dass
Verb family
More verbs built on stehen
Same base verb, a different prefix, a new meaning.