Umsteigen: Examples, Sentences and Quiz in German

Introduction

Umsteigen means “to change (trains, vehicles), to transfer”, 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 umsteigen, 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 umsteigen, in different tenses and with different subjects. Read the German first, guess the meaning, then check the English.

  1. “Ich steige in Berlin in den Zug um jeden Tag.” — “I change in Berlin onto the train every day.”
  2. “Du steigst am Bahnhof in den Bus um jeden Tag.” — “You change at the station onto the bus every day.”
  3. “Ich bin in München in die U-Bahn umgestiegen gestern.” — “I have changed in Munich onto the underground yesterday.”
  4. “Er stieg in Berlin in den Zug um gestern.” — “He changed in Berlin onto the train yesterday.”
  5. “Wir werden am Bahnhof in den Bus umsteigen morgen.” — “We will change at the station onto the bus tomorrow.”
  6. “Du bist in München in die U-Bahn umgestiegen gestern.” — “You have changed in Munich onto the underground yesterday.”
  7. “Ich stiege in Berlin in den Zug um eines Tages.” — “I would change in Berlin onto the train one day.”
  8. “Es ist wichtig, dass er umsteige am Bahnhof in den Bus.” — “It is important that he change at the station onto the bus.”
  9. “Wir waren in München in die U-Bahn umgestiegen vor der Party.” — “We had changed in Munich onto the underground before the party.”
  10. “Er wird in Berlin in den Zug umsteigen morgen.” — “He will change in Berlin onto the train tomorrow.”
  11. “Sie steigen am Bahnhof in den Bus um jeden Tag.” — “They change at the station onto the bus every day.”
  12. “Steig in München in die U-Bahn um!” — “Change in Munich onto the underground!”

A short dialogue

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

Lena: “Du steigst in Berlin in den Zug um jeden Tag.” — “You change in Berlin onto the train every day.” Jonas: “Ich steige in Berlin in den Zug um jeden Tag.” — “I change in Berlin onto the train every day.” Lena: “Du wirst am Bahnhof in den Bus umsteigen morgen.” — “You will change at the station onto the bus tomorrow.” Jonas: “Ich werde am Bahnhof in den Bus umsteigen morgen.” — “I will change at the station onto the bus tomorrow.” Lena: “Du bist in München in die U-Bahn umgestiegen gestern.” — “You have changed in Munich onto the underground yesterday.” Jonas: “Ich bin in München in die U-Bahn umgestiegen gestern.” — “I have changed in Munich onto the underground yesterday.” Lena: “Du stiegest in Berlin in den Zug um eines Tages.” — “You would change in Berlin onto the train one day.” Jonas: “Ich stiege in Berlin in den Zug um eines Tages.” — “I would change in Berlin onto 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.

Umsteigen in different tenses

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

The present: habits and facts

In the present, umsteigen describes habits, facts and what is happening now. The ich form is steige um: “Ich steige in Berlin in den Zug um jeden Tag.” — “I change in Berlin onto the train every day.”

The preterite: the past in stories

In the preterite, umsteigen describes a completed past action, mostly in writing and stories. The er form is stieg um: “Er stieg am Bahnhof in den Bus um gestern.” — “He changed at the station onto the bus yesterday.”

The Perfekt: finished actions

In the Perfekt, umsteigen reports one finished action, built with sein plus the participle umgestiegen. The ich form is bin umgestiegen: “Ich bin in München in die U-Bahn umgestiegen gestern.” — “I have changed in Munich onto the underground yesterday.”

The future: what will happen

In the future, umsteigen talks about what will happen. The wir form is werden umsteigen: “Wir werden in Berlin in den Zug umsteigen morgen.” — “We will change in Berlin onto the train tomorrow.”

Konjunktiv II: what would happen

In Konjunktiv II, umsteigen 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 um: “Du stiegest am Bahnhof in den Bus um eines Tages.” — “You would change at the station onto the bus one day.”

Konjunktiv I: reported speech

In Konjunktiv I, umsteigen appears in reported speech, after triggers such as es ist wichtig, dass. The form is umsteige, and the sentence keeps the same complement as the other tenses: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich umsteige in München in die U-Bahn.” — “It is important that I change in Munich onto the underground.”

Common mistakes

Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Ich umsteigen in Berlin in den Zug.”

✓ Right: “Ich steige um in Berlin in den Zug.”

The infinitive umsteigen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated form steige um.

Using the wrong person’s form

✗ Wrong: “Du steige um in Berlin in den Zug.”

✓ Right: “Du steigst um in Berlin in den Zug.”

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

Using the present for a finished past action

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

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

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

Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

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

✓ Right: “Es ist wichtig, dass du umsteigest am Bahnhof in den Bus.”

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

Forgetting the auxiliary in the Perfekt

✗ Wrong: “Ich umgestiegen in Berlin in den Zug.”

✓ Right: “Ich bin in Berlin in den Zug umgestiegen.”

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

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    • A) gereist
    • B) besucht
    • C) gekostet
    • D) umgestiegen

  10. What does umsteigen mean in English?

  • A) to visit
  • B) to cost
  • C) to change (trains, vehicles), to transfer
  • D) to travel

Answer key

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

Frequently asked questions

What does umsteigen mean in English?

umsteigen means “to change (trains, vehicles), to transfer”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.

Is umsteigen regular or irregular?

umsteigen is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. Partizip I is umsteigend and Partizip II is umgestiegen.

How do I practise umsteigen every day?

Say one sentence with umsteigen 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 Berlin in den Zug um jeden Tag.”, “Ich bin in Berlin in den Zug umgestiegen gestern.” and “Ich werde in Berlin in den Zug umsteigen 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 umsteigen, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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