eingesteckt

Eingesteckt is the past participle of the German verb einstecken and is used as both a verbal participle in compound tenses and as an adjective describing a state resulting from insertion or placement. The core meaning of einstecken is to insert, to put into something, or to tuck away, with the prefix ein- indicating movement into or into a receptacle.

In everyday use, eingesteckt describes physical insertion such as plugging a device into a power source, inserting a card into a reader, or placing a battery into a compartment. Common examples include: Der Stecker ist eingesteckt (The plug is plugged in). Ich habe die SIM-Karte eingesteckt (I inserted the SIM card). Das Kabel ist eingesteckt. In these contexts eingesteckt agrees with the subject and is typically used with the auxiliary haben in the perfect tense: Ich habe den Stecker eingesteckt.

Eingesteckt can also describe a figurative action of putting money into a pocket or saving money, as in Geld eingesteckt or Er hat Geld eingesteckt. This sense emphasizes the result of having money physically or metaphorically placed away.

Grammatical notes: as a participle, eingesteckt inflects like other past participles in German and normally appears with haben in perfect constructions. It can also function descriptively as an attributive or predicative adjective, though the exact declension follows standard adjective endings.

See also: einstecken, ausstecken, einlegen, einlegen vs einstecken.