stehen

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

stehen n

1. genitive plural of stehno

German

Alternative forms

• steh'n
• stehn (dated in formal prose, but still common informally or poetically)

Etymology

From Middle High German stān, stēn, from Old High German stān, stēn, from Proto-West Germanic *stān, from Proto-Germanic *stāną. The -h- was introduced into the spelling by analogy with sehen, in which it had become mute but was retained in spelling.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃteː.ən/ (official standard, but less common)
• IPA^(key): /ʃteːn/ (predominant)

• Audio

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• audio (Austria)

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• Rhymes: -eːən, -eːn
• Hyphenation: ste‧hen

Verb

stehen (irregular strong, third-person singular present steht, past tense stand, past participle gestanden, past subjunctive stände or stünde, auxiliary haben or sein)

1. (intransitive) to stand (to be upright, support oneself on the feet in an erect position)

   Ich stehe an der Ecke.

   I'm standing on the corner.

2. (intransitive) to be, to appear, to stand (to be placed or located somewhere)

   Das steht nicht in dem Wörterbuch.

   This does not appear in the dictionary.

   • 1931, Arthur Schnitzler, chapter IV, in Flucht in die Finsternis‎, S. Fischer Verlag, page 36:

     Ein frisch gefülltes Glas Champagner stand vor ihm. Er trank es in einem Zug aus – mit Lust, fast mit Begier.

     A freshly filled glass of champagne was in front of him. He emptied it in one draught – with pleasure, almost with greed.

3. (intransitive) to stay; to be still

   Das Leben steht. ― Life stands still.

4. (intransitive, copulative) to stay, to stand, to be (in a certain state, position or circumstance)

   Das Haus steht leer.

   The house stands empty.

   Das Team steht an der Spitze seiner Liga.

   The team stands at the top of their league.

5. (with dative) to suit, to become (to look attractive on, of a garment, color etc.)

   Blau steht dir sehr gut! ― Blue suits you very well!

   Der Tod steht ihr gut ― Death Becomes Her (film title)

6. (with für) to represent, to stand for
7. (with zu or hinter) to support, to stand by
8. (Switzerland) to put, place

   Synonym: sich stellen

9. (colloquial, transitive with auf) to fancy

   Ich glaube sie steht nicht auf dich.

   I don't think she fancies you.

   • 1980, “Wir Steh'n Auf Berlin”, performed by Ideal:

     Neben mir wohnt ein Philosoph / Fenster auf, ich hör Türkenmelodien / Ich fühl mich gut / Ich steh auf Berlin

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Usage notes

The most frequent auxiliary with stehen is haben: Ich habe gestanden. (NB: This expression also happens to be the perfect tense of gestehen: I have confessed.) In northern and central Germany, only this form is used. In southern Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, sein is common in the vernacular and also, alternatively, in standard usage: Ich bin gestanden.

Conjugation

Derived terms

Further reading

• “stehen” in Duden online
• “stehen” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “stehen” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “stehen” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.