Before you start
Meet anstellen
Read how the verb is used, then write your own 10 sentences with it.
All 6 meanings
- (reflexive) to queue, to line up
- (transitive) to hire, to appoint
- (transitive) to switch on, to power up, to enable
- (transitive) to get into, to be up to (trouble, mischief, etc.)
- (colloquial, reflexive) to behave
- (colloquial, transitive) to perform
Build the meaning
an- + stellen
- an-
- toward or into a position of contact or engagement
- stellen
- to put or place
You place someone into a job, or put a device into operation; with sich, you place yourself in line.
So anstellen means to employ or hire; to switch on; sich anstellen: to queue.
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·stellen
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 clauseDer Laden stellt heute eine Frau an.The shop is hiring a woman today.
Subordinate clauseIch hoffe, dass die Firma ihn anstellt.I hope that the company hires him.
Participle: angestelltzu-infinitive: anzustellen
Forms
How anstellen changes
| Pronoun | Präsens | Präteritum |
|---|---|---|
| ich | stelle an | stellte an |
| du | stellst an | stelltest an |
| er/sie/es | stellt an | stellte an |
| wir | stellen an | stellten an |
| ihr | stellt an | stelltet an |
| Sie | stellen an | stellten an |
Partizip II angestellt · Perfekt with haben
Three examples
- 1Die Firma stellt heute neue Leute an.The company is hiring new people today.prefix goes to the end
- 2Wir haben uns angestellt und lange gewartet.We got in line and waited a long time.Perfekt for getting in line
- 3Weil du dich so anstellst, lachen alle.Because you are making such a fuss, everyone laughs.verb at the end after weil
Verb family
More verbs built on stellen
Same base verb, a different prefix, a new meaning.
- vorstellento introduce, imagine
- darstellento depict, portray
- feststellento establish, detect
- einstellento adjust, employ, stop
- herstellento produce
- aufstellento put up, draw up
- herausstellento emphasize, come to light
- abstellento turn off, shut down, park