aufstehen
/ˈʔaufˌʃteːən/
The German phrase for stand up is aufstehen.
aufstehen is used both for the physical act of rising from a chair and for the act of getting out of bed in the morning. It is also used figuratively to mean 'to rise up' against an authority or an opponent.
Meaning: rise from a sitting position (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
aufstehen is a separable verb, meaning the prefix 'auf-' moves to the end of a main clause in simple present or past tense. For example, in a simple present tense sentence like Er steht auf, the prefix auf is separated from the stem steht. The past participle of aufstehen is aufgestanden, which uses the auxiliary verb sein (to be) rather than haben (to have).
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈʔaufˌʃteːən/
Did you know?
- In a formal German classroom, students may be expected to aufstehen and stand perfectly still when a teacher enters the room as a sign of respect.
- In German, the phrase Aufsteher refers to a 'morning person', contrasting with a Langschläfer or 'long-sleeper'.
- The Dutch equivalent opstaan follows a very similar logic of a prefix combined with a verb of standing, mirroring the German structure almost exactly.
Examples in context
- Ich kann kaum aufstehen.I can barely stand up.This sentence demonstrates the use of aufstehen to express a physical difficulty in standing.Tatoeba #3940113 by Tamy, translation #3818969 by CK
- Kannst du bitte aufstehen?Can you stand up, please?This sentence shows how to use aufstehen as a polite request.Tatoeba #10071487 by wolfgangth, translation #3328140 by CK
- Tom konnte kaum aufstehen.Tom could hardly stand up.This sentence illustrates the use of aufstehen in the past tense to describe a person's ability.Tatoeba #11965373 by Naina, translation #10742018 by CK
- Entschuldigen Sie, könnten Sie bitte aufstehen?Excuse me, could you please stand up?
- Steh bitte auf!Please stand up
- Könnten Sie bitte aufstehen?Could you please stand up?
- Steh aufStand up
- Frau Müller, könnten Sie bitte aufstehen?Mrs. Müller, could you please stand up?
- Peter, steh auf!Peter, stand up!
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
In a living room, a woman is telling her partner to get up from the sofa.
- LukasLaura, bitte steh endlich auf.Laura, please stand up finally.
- LauraIch bin noch so müde, Lukas.I am still so tired, Lukas.
- LukasDu musst jetzt aufstehen.You must stand up now.
- LauraOkay, ich stehe auf.Okay, I am standing up.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “stand up” translations and entries aufstehen, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aufstehen, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
