Before you start
Meet vorstellen
Read how the verb is used, then write your own 10 sentences with it.
All 6 meanings
- (transitive) to introduce (someone), to present
- (reflexive) to introduce oneself
- (transitive, dative reflexive) to imagine, to envision
- (transitive, archaic) to represent, to mean
- (transitive) to move (something) forward
- (transitive) to put (the clocks) forward
Build the meaning
vor- + stellen
- vor-
- in front of, or before the mind
- stellen
- to put or place
You place someone before others to present them, or place an idea before your mind to picture it.
So vorstellen means to introduce; to imagine.
A memory aid, not a rule: prefixes change meaning from verb to verb.
Learning approach inspired by this explanation in r/German.
Separable verb: vor·stellen
In a main clause the prefix vor splits off and goes to the end. After weil, dass and other subordinating words, the verb stays in one piece at the end.
Main clauseMara stellt ihren Bruder heute vor.Mara introduces her brother today.
Subordinate clause…, weil sie ihren Bruder heute vorstellt.…, because she is introducing her brother today.
Participle: vorgestelltzu-infinitive: vorzustellen
Forms
How vorstellen changes
| Pronoun | Präsens | Präteritum |
|---|---|---|
| ich | stelle vor | stellte vor |
| du | stellst vor | stelltest vor |
| er/sie/es | stellt vor | stellte vor |
| wir | stellen vor | stellten vor |
| ihr | stellt vor | stelltet vor |
| Sie | stellen vor | stellten vor |
Partizip II vorgestellt · Perfekt with haben
Three examples
- 1Ich stelle meinen Bruder vor.I introduce my brother.introducing someone
- 2Sie hat sich gestern dem neuen Lehrer vorgestellt.She introduced herself to the new teacher yesterday.Perfekt with haben
- 3Ich glaube, dass er sich ein Haus vorstellen kann.I think he can imagine a house.verb at the end after dass
Verb family
More verbs built on stellen
Same base verb, a different prefix, a new meaning.
- 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
- abstellento turn off, shut down, park