hineinschauen

Hineinschauen is a German verb formed from schauen (to look) with the directional adverbial prefix hinein, meaning to look into something or to take a quick look inside. The term can describe a literal action, such as peering into a container, room, or space, or a figurative action, such as inspecting a topic, document, or situation more closely.

The word is a separable-prefix verb. In finite tenses the prefix is separated from the stem: ich schaue hinein, du schaust hinein, er schaut hinein, wir schauen hinein, ihr schaut hinein, sie schauen hinein. The past participle is hineingeschaut, as in “Ich habe in die Akten hineingeschaut.” This construction also allows combinations like hinein in + accusative objects, for example: “Ich schaue in die Kiste hinein.”

Usage and examples: Literally, one might say, “Ich schaue in die Kiste hinein, um den Schlüssel zu finden.” Figuratively, it is common to say, “Der Forscher schaute in die Unterlagen hinein, um den Verlauf zu verstehen.” In journalism or analysis one may speak of “in die Materie hineinsehen” or “in die Angelegenheit hineinblicken,” indicating a deeper or more focused examination.

Related terms include hereinschauen (to look inside toward the observer) and hineinsehen (to look into or examine more deeply). Hineinschauen remains a versatile, largely informal to neutral expression in German.