Before you start
Meet feststellen
Read how the verb is used, then write your own 10 sentences with it.
All 4 meanings
- (transitive) to determine, to ascertain, to establish, to find, to see
- (transitive) to notice, to realize, to observe
- (transitive) to declare, to state
- (transitive, mechanics) to lock, to secure, to fix into place
Build the meaning
fest- + stellen
- fest-
- firmly, as a settled result
- stellen
- to put or set
You set something firmly in place as a fact.
So feststellen means to determine, establish, or notice.
A memory aid, not a rule: prefixes change meaning from verb to verb.
Learning approach inspired by this explanation in r/German.
Separable verb: fest·stellen
In a main clause the prefix fest splits off and goes to the end. After weil, dass and other subordinating words, the verb stays in one piece at the end.
Main clauseWir stellen den Grund heute fest.We determine the reason today.
Subordinate clauseSie bleibt hier, weil der Arzt die Krankheit feststellt.She stays here because the doctor detects the illness.
Participle: festgestelltzu-infinitive: festzustellen
Forms
How feststellen changes
| Pronoun | Präsens | Präteritum |
|---|---|---|
| ich | stelle fest | stellte fest |
| du | stellst fest | stelltest fest |
| er/sie/es | stellt fest | stellte fest |
| wir | stellen fest | stellten fest |
| ihr | stellt fest | stelltet fest |
| Sie | stellen fest | stellten fest |
Partizip II festgestellt · Perfekt with haben
Three examples
- 1Der Arzt stellt eine Krankheit fest.The doctor detects an illness.present, prefix at end
- 2Die Polizei hat den Namen festgestellt.The police established the name.Perfekt with haben
- 3Ich weiß, dass sie den Fehler feststellt.I know that she detects the mistake.verb at the end after dass
Verb family
More verbs built on stellen
Same base verb, a different prefix, a new meaning.
- vorstellento introduce, imagine
- darstellento depict, portray
- einstellento adjust, employ, stop
- herstellento produce
- aufstellento put up, draw up
- anstellento employ, line up, get into mischief
- herausstellento emphasize, come to light
- abstellento turn off, shut down, park