Before you start
Meet unterstellen
Read how the verb is used, then write your own 10 sentences with it.
All 5 meanings
- to put beneath, to shelter under
- (intransitive) to assume, suppose, postulate, take it [with dass (+ clause) ‘that ...’]
- (transitive) to accuse [with dative ‘someone’ and accusative ‘of something’]
- (transitive) to allege [with dative ‘someone’ and dass (+ clause) ‘to have done something’]
- (transitive) to (make) subordinate [with accusative ‘something’ and dative ‘to something else’]
Build the meaning
unter- + stellen
- unter-
- under, as if placing something beneath someone’s responsibility or account
- stellen
- to put or place
You place an idea under someone’s name by attributing it to them.
So unterstellen means to attribute or impute something to someone; to allege or assume.
A memory aid, not a rule: prefixes change meaning from verb to verb.
Learning approach inspired by this explanation in r/German.
Separable verb: unter·stellen
In a main clause the prefix unter 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 die Kisten im Keller unter.We store the boxes in the basement.
Subordinate clauseWir gehen hinein, weil wir die Räder unterstellen.We go inside because we are putting the bikes under cover.
Participle: untergestelltzu-infinitive: unterzustellen
Forms
How unterstellen changes
| Pronoun | Präsens | Präteritum |
|---|---|---|
| ich | stelle unter | stellte unter |
| du | stellst unter | stelltest unter |
| er/sie/es | stellt unter | stellte unter |
| wir | stellen unter | stellten unter |
| ihr | stellt unter | stelltet unter |
| Sie | stellen unter | stellten unter |
Partizip II untergestellt · Perfekt with haben
Three examples
- 1Wir stellen die Fahrräder unter.We put the bikes under cover.prefix goes to the end
- 2Ich habe meine Möbel bei Freunden untergestellt.I stored my furniture at my friends' place.Perfekt with haben
- 3Sie sagt, dass er ihr eine Lüge unterstellt.She says that he is accusing her of lying.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
- feststellento establish, detect
- einstellento adjust, employ, stop
- herstellento produce
- aufstellento put up, draw up
- anstellento employ, line up, get into mischief
- herausstellento emphasize, come to light