verb

stehen

stand

Es bedeutet, aufrecht an einem Ort zu sein, ohne sich zu bewegen.

Definition & meaning

stehen is a strong German verb meaning “to stand”. It describes a stationary upright position, but it is also used in several figurative and idiomatic ways.

To stand upright
- Ich stehe vor der Tür. — “I am standing in front of the door.”
- Das Kind kann schon stehen. — “The child can already stand.”
To be located or positioned somewhere
- Das Auto steht in der Garage. — “The car is in the garage.”
- Das Buch steht im Regal. — “The book is on the shelf.”
German commonly uses stehen for objects that are upright or positioned in a particular place. For objects lying flat, German usually uses liegen , and for hanging objects, hängen .
To be stopped or stationary
- Der Zug steht am Bahnhof. — “The train is standing at the station.”
- Der Verkehr steht. — “The traffic has come to a standstill.”
To say, be written, or be stated
- Das steht in der Zeitung. — “That is stated in the newspaper.”
- Auf dem Schild steht „Eingang“. — “The sign says ‘Entrance’.”
To be in a particular condition or situation
- Wie steht es mit dem Projekt? — “How is the project going?”
- Er steht unter Druck. — “He is under pressure.”
- Sie steht vor einer schwierigen Entscheidung. — “She is facing a difficult decision.”
To suit or look good on someone
- Die Jacke steht dir gut. — “The jacket suits you.”
- Rot steht ihr besonders gut. — “Red looks especially good on her.”
To be available or at someone’s disposal
- Ich stehe Ihnen jederzeit zur Verfügung. — “I am available to you at any time.”
- Das Geld steht morgen zur Verfügung. — “The money will be available tomorrow.”
To owe someone something or be indebted to someone
- Ich stehe bei ihm in der Schuld. — “I am indebted to him.”
- Er steht bei der Bank mit 5.000 Euro in der Schuld. — “He owes the bank 5,000 euros.”

Grammar & Word origin

stehen is an irregular strong verb.

Infinitive: stehen
Present tense:
- ich stehe
- du stehst
- er/sie/es steht
- wir stehen
- ihr steht
- sie/Sie stehen
Simple past: stand
Past participle: gestanden
Auxiliary verb: haben
- Ich habe lange gestanden. — “I stood for a long time.”

The verb is generally intransitive, so it normally does not take a direct accusative object. It is often used with a location expressed by in, an, auf, vor, or bei.

The related verb stellen means “to put or place something upright”, while stehen describes the resulting position:

Ich stelle die Flasche auf den Tisch. — “I put the bottle on the table.”
Die Flasche steht auf dem Tisch. — “The bottle is on the table.”

Historically, stehen comes from Old High German stān and is related to English “stand.”

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

aufrecht sein — “to be upright.” This emphasizes physical posture and is narrower than stehen.
sich befinden — “to be located or situated.” This is more neutral and can describe any position, not only an upright one.
stillstehen — “to stand still” or “to be at a standstill.” This emphasizes the absence of movement.
haltmachen — “to stop.” This refers to stopping movement rather than simply being upright or located somewhere.
aufgestellt sein — “to be set up or positioned.” This often implies that someone has deliberately placed the object there.

Antonyms

sitzen — “to sit.” It describes a seated posture rather than an upright one.
liegen — “to lie.” It describes a horizontal position.
sich bewegen — “to move.” This contrasts with the stationary meaning of stehen.
gehen — “to go or walk.” This contrasts with stehen when it means remaining stationary.
fallen — “to fall.” This can describe movement from an upright position into a non-upright one.

Common phrases & collocations

auf eigenen Beinen stehen — to be independent
Schlange stehen — to queue, to stand in line
im Mittelpunkt stehen — to be the center of attention
unter Druck stehen — to be under pressure
zur Verfügung stehen — to be available
zur Debatte stehen — to be under discussion
zu seinem Wort stehen — to keep one’s word
feststehen — to be certain or established
bevorstehen — to be imminent or upcoming
jemandem gut stehen [?](vocabuo://word jemandem%20gut%20stehen) — to suit someone or look good on someone