Before you start
Meet aussteigen
Read how the verb is used, then write your own 10 sentences with it.
All 3 meanings
- (intransitive) to exit, get off (especially a vehicle)
- (intransitive, figurative) to phase out, to back out, to bail out
- (intransitive, informal) to drop out (to opt out of conventional society)
Build the meaning
aus- + steigen
- aus-
- outward, from inside to outside
- steigen
- to climb or step
You step or climb out of a vehicle or enclosed space.
So aussteigen means to get out or get off.
A memory aid, not a rule: prefixes change meaning from verb to verb.
Learning approach inspired by this explanation in r/German.
Separable verb: aus·steigen
In a main clause the prefix aus splits off and goes to the end. After weil, dass and other subordinating words, the verb stays in one piece at the end.
Main clauseSie steigt an der nächsten Haltestelle aus.She gets off at the next stop.
Subordinate clause…, weil sie an der nächsten Haltestelle aussteigt.…, because she gets off at the next stop.
Participle: ausgestiegenzu-infinitive: auszusteigen
Forms
How aussteigen changes
| Pronoun | Präsens | Präteritum |
|---|---|---|
| ich | steige aus | stieg aus |
| du | steigst aus | stiegst aus |
| er/sie/es | steigt aus | stieg aus |
| wir | steigen aus | stiegen aus |
| ihr | steigt aus | stiegt aus |
| Sie | steigen aus | stiegen aus |
Partizip II ausgestiegen · Perfekt with sein
Three examples
- 1Ich steige an der Schule aus.I get off at the school.present, prefix at the end
- 2Wir sind aus dem Auto ausgestiegen.We got out of the car.Perfekt with sein
- 3Wenn der Bus hier hält, steige ich aus.When the bus stops here, I get off.verb at the end after wenn
Verb family
More verbs built on steigen
Same base verb, a different prefix, a new meaning.