ersetze

Ersetze is a conjugated form of the German verb ersetzen, which means to replace or to substitute. In present tense usage, it appears in different grammatical roles: ich ersetze (I replace), er ersetzt, du ersetzt, wir ersetzen, ihr ersetzt, sie ersetzen. The form Ersetze can also function as the imperative for the informal second person singular, giving a direct order to replace something (Ersetze das Glas, bitte). The past participle of ersetzen is ersetzt, as in Ich habe den Fehler ersetzt.

Etymology and related terms: ersetzen comes from a prefix er- combined with setzen (to set or place). The resulting sense is to set in place again or to substitute one thing for another. The noun form Ersatz means substitute or replacement, and is used in compounds such as Ersatzteil (spare part), Ersatzlieferung (replacement shipment), or Ersatzleistung (compensation or substitute performance).

Usage notes: ersetzen typically takes a direct object in the accusative, denoting what is being replaced, for example: Ich ersetze den defekten Akku. The thing that replaces it can be introduced directly, or the replacement may be described with a phrase like durch ein neues Modell (by a new model). The verb can be used transitively in various tenses and voices, including passive constructions such as Der defekte Teil wurde ersetzt.

See also: Ersatz, Ersatzteil, Ersatzleistung. These terms derive from the same root and expand the vocabulary around replacement and substitution in German.