entstehen

Entstehen is a German verb meaning to come into being, to arise, or to form. It is used for natural processes, phenomena, institutions, objects, and abstract developments. Common expressions include das Entstehen aus etwas (to originate from something) and aus etwas entsteht etwas Neues (something new arises from something).

Usage and constructions

Entstehen is typically used to describe processes that begin to exist or develop. Examples: Aus der Krise entstanden neue Ideen. Eine Debatte entsteht um das Thema. Es entsteht eine Stadt am Flussufer. The verb often appears with aus, durch, or in contexts of origin or formation, as in: aus zwei Teilen entsteht ein Ganzer; durch einen Zufall entstand diese Lösung.

Conjugation and grammar

Entstehen is an inseparable-prefix verb, used in intransitive senses. Present tense forms: ich entstehe, du entstehst, er entsteht, wir entstehen, ihr entsteht, sie entstehen. The simple past is entstand; the past participle is entstanden, used with auxiliary sein: ist entstanden. The infinitive is entstehen, the present participle entstehend.

Etymology and related terms

The verb compounds ent- with stehen (to stand), yielding the sense of standing out or coming into existence. It descends from Old High German and Middle High German forms (entstânnen) and has developed to cover both physical emergence and the formation of ideas, institutions, or phenomena. Related verbs include bilden, entstehen aus, entwickeln, and entstehen often contrasts with erzeugen (to generate) and form (to shape).

See also

Entstehen related to origins and formation in science, history, and linguistics; it is commonly contrasted with words for creation, production, and development in German.