Einsteigen: Examples, Sentences and Quiz in German

Introduction

Einsteigen means “to get in”, and it is one of the most useful verbs in German — you will meet it in conversation, in books, in films and in every textbook. This page puts the verb to work: twelve example sentences across the tenses, a short dialogue you can act out, a tour of the verb in its most important tenses, the mistakes learners make most often, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Every form on this page comes from the verified conjugation tables for einsteigen, so you can trust what you read here. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself with the quiz at the end.

Example sentences

Twelve sentences with einsteigen, in different tenses and with different subjects. Read the German first, guess the meaning, then check the English.

  1. “Ich steige in den Zug ein jeden Tag.” — “I get in into the train every day.”
  2. “Du steigst in den Bus ein jeden Tag.” — “You get in into the bus every day.”
  3. “Ich bin ins Auto eingestiegen gestern.” — “I have got in into the car yesterday.”
  4. “Er stieg in den Zug ein gestern.” — “He got in into the train yesterday.”
  5. “Wir werden in den Bus einsteigen morgen.” — “We will get in into the bus tomorrow.”
  6. “Du bist ins Auto eingestiegen gestern.” — “You have got in into the car yesterday.”
  7. “Ich stiege in den Zug ein eines Tages.” — “I would get in into the train one day.”
  8. “Es ist wichtig, dass er einsteige in den Bus.” — “It is important that he get in into the bus.”
  9. “Wir waren ins Auto eingestiegen vor der Party.” — “We had got in into the car before the party.”
  10. “Er wird in den Zug einsteigen morgen.” — “He will get in into the train tomorrow.”
  11. “Sie steigen in den Bus ein jeden Tag.” — “They get in into the bus every day.”
  12. “Steig ins Auto ein!” — “Get in into the car!”

A short dialogue

Lena and Jonas are talking about into the train. Read the dialogue aloud, one voice per person, and notice how einsteigen changes with the tense and the subject. Every form of einsteigen below is taken from the verified tables.

Lena: “Du steigst in den Zug ein jeden Tag.” — “You get in into the train every day.” Jonas: “Ich steige in den Zug ein jeden Tag.” — “I get in into the train every day.” Lena: “Du wirst in den Bus einsteigen morgen.” — “You will get in into the bus tomorrow.” Jonas: “Ich werde in den Bus einsteigen morgen.” — “I will get in into the bus tomorrow.” Lena: “Du bist ins Auto eingestiegen gestern.” — “You have got in into the car yesterday.” Jonas: “Ich bin ins Auto eingestiegen gestern.” — “I have got in into the car yesterday.” Lena: “Du stiegest in den Zug ein eines Tages.” — “You would get in into the train one day.” Jonas: “Ich stiege in den Zug ein eines Tages.” — “I would get in into the train one day.”

Notice how the dialogue moves through time: the present for what is happening now, the future for tomorrow, the Perfekt for yesterday, and Konjunktiv II for what someone would do one day. The verb stays the same — only the tense changes — and that is the whole point of learning a conjugation table: one verb, many moments.

Einsteigen in different tenses

The same verb does different jobs in different tenses. Here are the six uses of einsteigen that matter most, each with a sentence you can copy and adapt.

The present: habits and facts

In the present, einsteigen describes habits, facts and what is happening now. The ich form is steige ein: “Ich steige in den Zug ein jeden Tag.” — “I get in into the train every day.”

The preterite: the past in stories

In the preterite, einsteigen describes a completed past action, mostly in writing and stories. The er form is stieg ein: “Er stieg in den Bus ein gestern.” — “He got in into the bus yesterday.”

The Perfekt: finished actions

In the Perfekt, einsteigen reports one finished action, built with sein plus the participle eingestiegen. The ich form is bin eingestiegen: “Ich bin ins Auto eingestiegen gestern.” — “I have got in into the car yesterday.”

The future: what will happen

In the future, einsteigen talks about what will happen. The wir form is werden einsteigen: “Wir werden in den Zug einsteigen morgen.” — “We will get in into the train tomorrow.”

Konjunktiv II: what would happen

In Konjunktiv II, einsteigen talks about what would happen. Konjunktiv II doubles as the conditional, and the periphrastic alternative with würde plus the infinitive expresses the same meaning. The du form is stiegest ein: “Du stiegest in den Bus ein eines Tages.” — “You would get in into the bus one day.”

Konjunktiv I: reported speech

In Konjunktiv I, einsteigen appears in reported speech, after triggers such as es ist wichtig, dass. The form is einsteige, and the sentence keeps the same complement as the other tenses: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich einsteige ins Auto.” — “It is important that I get in into the car.”

Common mistakes

Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Ich einsteigen in den Zug.”

✓ Right: “Ich steige ein in den Zug.”

The infinitive einsteigen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated form steige ein.

Using the wrong person’s form

✗ Wrong: “Du steige ein in den Zug.”

✓ Right: “Du steigst ein in den Zug.”

steige ein is the ich form. With du you need steigst ein. Check the subject before you choose the form.

Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Ich steige ein in den Zug gestern.”

✓ Right: “Ich bin in den Zug eingestiegen gestern.”

The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt bin eingestiegen, not the present.

Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

✗ Wrong: “Es ist wichtig, dass du steigst ein in den Bus.”

✓ Right: “Es ist wichtig, dass du einsteigest in den Bus.”

After es ist wichtig, dass German needs Konjunktiv I: einsteigest, not the indicative steigst ein.

Forgetting the auxiliary in the Perfekt

✗ Wrong: “Ich eingestiegen in den Zug.”

✓ Right: “Ich bin in den Zug eingestiegen.”

The Perfekt of einsteigen needs the auxiliary sein plus the participle eingestiegen: the full ich form is bin eingestiegen.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on einsteigen. Choose the right answer, then check the answer key below.

  1. What is the ich form of einsteigen in the Present (Präsens)?

    • A) steigst ein
    • B) steigt ein
    • C) steigen ein
    • D) steige ein

  2. What is the du form of einsteigen in the Present (Präsens)?

    • A) steigen ein
    • B) steigst ein
    • C) steige ein
    • D) steigt ein

  3. What is the er/sie/es form of einsteigen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?

    • A) sind eingestiegen
    • B) ist eingestiegen
    • C) bin eingestiegen
    • D) bist eingestiegen

  4. What is the wir form of einsteigen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?

    • A) stiegt ein
    • B) stiegen ein
    • C) stieg ein
    • D) stiegst ein

  5. What is the du form of einsteigen in the Future (Futur I)?

    • A) wirst einsteigen
    • B) werde einsteigen
    • C) wird einsteigen
    • D) werden einsteigen

  6. What is the ich form of einsteigen in the Konjunktiv II?

    • A) stiegest ein
    • B) stiegen ein
    • C) stieget ein
    • D) stiege ein

  7. What is the er/sie/es form of einsteigen in the Konjunktiv I?

    • A) steigest ein
    • B) steigen ein
    • C) steiget ein
    • D) steige ein

  8. What is the ich form of einsteigen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?

    • A) warst eingestiegen
    • B) waren eingestiegen
    • C) wart eingestiegen
    • D) war eingestiegen

  9. What is the past participle (Partizip II) of einsteigen?

    • A) gereist
    • B) eingestiegen
    • C) ausgestiegen
    • D) umgestiegen

  10. What does einsteigen mean in English?

  • A) to change (trains, vehicles), to transfer
  • B) to travel
  • C) to get in
  • D) to get out

Answer key

  1. D) steige ein — the ich form of einsteigen in the Present (Präsens) is steige ein. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. B) steigst ein — the du form of einsteigen in the Present (Präsens) is steigst ein. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. B) ist eingestiegen — the er/sie/es form of einsteigen in the Perfect (Perfekt) is ist eingestiegen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. B) stiegen ein — the wir form of einsteigen in the Preterite (Präteritum) is stiegen ein. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. A) wirst einsteigen — the du form of einsteigen in the Future (Futur I) is wirst einsteigen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. D) stiege ein — the ich form of einsteigen in the Konjunktiv II is stiege ein. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) steige ein — the er/sie/es form of einsteigen in the Konjunktiv I is steige ein. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. D) war eingestiegen — the ich form of einsteigen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is war eingestiegen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) eingestiegen — the past participle of einsteigen is eingestiegen. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
  10. C) to get in — einsteigen means “to get in” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.

Frequently asked questions

What does einsteigen mean in English?

einsteigen means “to get in”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.

Is einsteigen regular or irregular?

einsteigen is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. Partizip I is einsteigend and Partizip II is eingestiegen.

How do I practise einsteigen every day?

Say one sentence with einsteigen in the present, one in the Perfekt and one in the future every day, using the examples on this page as models — for example, “Ich steige in den Zug ein jeden Tag.”, “Ich bin in den Zug eingestiegen gestern.” and “Ich werde in den Zug einsteigen morgen.”. Then take the quiz again and check your answers against the key.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for einsteigen, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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