verb

eintreten

enter

In einen Raum oder ein Gebäude hineingehen oder bei etwas beginnen mitzumachen.

Definition & meaning

Eintreten is a separable, strong German verb with several related meanings:

To enter or step into a place
It describes physically going into a room, building, or other enclosed space.
- Bitte eintreten. — “Please come in.”
- Sie trat in den Raum ein. — “She entered the room.”
To join an organization or group
With in + accusative, it can mean becoming a member of an organization, party, club, or institution.
- Er ist in den Verein eingetreten. — “He joined the club.”
To occur, happen, or come about
This meaning is often used for an event, consequence, condition, or situation.
- Der erwartete Erfolg ist eingetreten. — “The expected success occurred.”
- Nach einigen Stunden trat eine Besserung ein. — “After a few hours, an improvement set in.”
To stand up for or advocate something or someone
The construction für etwas/jemanden eintreten means to defend, support, or advocate for something or someone.
- Sie tritt für soziale Gerechtigkeit ein. — “She advocates social justice.”
- Er ist für seine Kollegin eingetreten. — “He stood up for his colleague.”

This verb should not be confused with in Kraft treten , which means “to come into force.” However, eine Wirkung tritt ein means that an effect takes place or begins to work.

Grammar & Word origin

Eintreten is a separable strong verb.

Infinitive: eintreten
Present, third-person singular: er tritt ein ?
Simple past: er trat ein ?
Perfect: er ist eingetreten ?
Present participle: eintretend
Infinitive with zu: einzutreten

The auxiliary verb in the perfect tense is sein , because the verb commonly expresses movement or a change of state.

The word consists of:

ein- , a prefix meaning “in” or “into”
treten , meaning “to step” or “to tread”

Literally, eintreten means “to step in.” The meanings “to occur” and “to advocate” developed from this basic idea of something coming into a situation or someone stepping forward on behalf of another person or cause.

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

Depending on the meaning, the following German words can be used:

hineingehen — “to go inside”; emphasizes movement into a place and is often more neutral or everyday than eintreten.
betreten — “to enter”; often sounds more formal and is used especially for rooms, buildings, or areas.
beitreten — “to join”; specifically refers to becoming a member of an organization or group.
geschehen — “to happen”; a general synonym for the event-related meaning of eintreten.
erfolgen — “to take place” or “to occur”; more formal and often used for planned actions or processes.
sich einsetzen für — “to campaign for” or “to work in support of”; often suggests active effort, whereas für etwas eintreten can simply mean expressing support or defending a principle.
sich starkmachen für — “to strongly support” or “to advocate”; more idiomatic and often somewhat emphatic.

Antonyms

The appropriate antonym depends on the meaning:

hinausgehen or herausgehen — “to go out”; opposites of entering a place.
verlassen — “to leave”; focuses on departing from a place rather than entering it.
austreten — “to leave or withdraw from an organization”; the opposite of joining an organization.
ausbleiben — “not to occur” or “fail to happen”; the opposite of the event-related meaning.
ablehnen — “to reject” or “to oppose”; an opposite of supporting or advocating something.
dagegen sein — “to be against”; the opposite of für etwas eintreten.

Common phrases & collocations

in einen Raum eintreten — to enter a room
in ein Gebäude eintreten — to enter a building
in einen Verein eintreten — to join a club
in eine Partei eintreten — to join a political party
für jemanden eintreten — to stand up for someone
für eine Sache eintreten — to advocate a cause
eine Veränderung tritt ein — a change occurs
eine Wirkung tritt ein — an effect takes place or begins to work
der Tod tritt ein — death occurs
plötzlich eintreten — to occur suddenly or to enter suddenly, depending on context