fortschreiten
progress
Sich Schritt für Schritt weiterbewegen oder sich nach vorn entwickeln.
Definition & meaning
fortschreiten is a German verb meaning to progress, to advance, or to move forward.
It is mainly used in two ways:
-
To make progress or develop further
It often describes a process, project, disease, or situation that continues to develop.- Die Arbeiten schreiten gut fort. — The work is progressing well.
- Die Krankheit ist weit fortgeschritten. — The disease is far advanced.
-
To move forward physically
This meaning is more formal or literary than simply using weitergehen.- Die Wanderer schritten langsam fort. — The hikers moved slowly onward.
The verb often suggests gradual, continuous development rather than a single improvement.
Grammar & Word origin
- Word class: verb
- Infinitive: fortschreiten
- Present tense: er schreitet fort
- Simple past: er schritt fort
- Past participle: fortgeschritten
- Auxiliary verb: sein — ist fortgeschritten
- Type: separable verb
- Der technische Fortschritt schreitet weiter fort.
- Die Verhandlungen sind fortgeschritten.
The word consists of:
Literally, fortschreiten means “to stride onward.” The related noun is der Fortschritt , meaning “progress.”
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonyms
- vorankommen — to make progress; more common and conversational
- weitergehen — to continue or go on; can refer to both processes and physical movement
- sich entwickeln — to develop; focuses more on change or development than on progress
- voranschreiten — to advance; formal and very close in meaning
- vorwärtsgehen — to move forward; often more concrete or directional
Antonyms
- stillstehen — to stand still or make no progress
- stagnieren — to stagnate; mainly used for abstract processes
- zurückgehen — to decline or go backward
- zurückschreiten — to move backward or regress; formal and less common
Common phrases & collocations
- gut fortschreiten — to progress well
- rasch fortschreiten — to progress rapidly
- langsam fortschreiten — to progress slowly
- mit den Arbeiten fortschreiten — to make progress with the work
- Die Verhandlungen schreiten fort. — The negotiations are progressing.
- weit fortgeschritten sein — to be far advanced
- Das Projekt ist weit fortgeschritten. — The project is far advanced.
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Examples
Die Arbeiten schreiten gut fort.verb
The work is progressing well.
Das Projekt ist während des Sommers schnell fortgeschritten.verb
The project has progressed quickly during the summer.
Ohne neue Regeln kann die Entwicklung kaum fortschreiten.verb
Without new rules, development can hardly progress.
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