Anstehen

Anstehen is a German verb that has two principal meanings: to stand in line or queue for something, and to be pending or due, i.e., something that is coming up soon. In everyday use, the sense of queuing is the more common one, while the sense of something that stands to be done or scheduled is a separate, formal usage.

As a separable prefix verb, anstehen is conjugated with the prefix separated in the present tense: ich stehe an, du stehst an, er steht an, wir stehen an, ihr steht an, sie stehen an. In the simple past you can say ich stand an, du standest an, er stand an; in the perfect tense the participle angestanden is used with haben: ich habe angestanden. The phrase die Prüfung steht an illustrates the second sense, meaning the event is upcoming or due.

The noun das Anstehen refers to the act of queuing or the waiting period in general. It can describe the time people spend waiting in line or, more formally, the process of waiting for a service. In everyday language, people often use sich anstellen to express queuing more explicitly, e.g., Wir stehen in der Schlange oder Wir stellen uns an.

Usage varies by context and style. The queuing sense is common in both informal and formal contexts, while the “upcoming” sense is more common in written or organizational language. The word is widely understood across German-speaking countries, with minor regional preferences for synonyms like warten or sich anstellen in specific situations.