schlüpfen

Schlüpfen is a German verb with several related meanings tied to the ideas of emergence, slipping through a boundary, or taking on a new role. The most common sense in biology is the moment when an animal, typically a bird, leaves an egg. In this sense, a chick "schlüpft aus dem Ei" and the event is described as "das Schlüpfen." In perfect tense this action uses the auxiliary sein: "Das Küken ist geschlüpft."

A second, widely used sense is to slip into or through something, including clothing, a space, or a role. Phrases such as "in eine Rolle schlüpfen" (to slip into a role) or "durch die Tür schlüpfen" (to slip through the door) illustrate this usage. This sense is intransitive and also takes "sein" in compound tenses: "Er ist durch die Tür geschlüpft." It can describe quick, discreet movement as well as change of state or persona.

Grammatical notes: schlüpfen conjugates regularly (ich schlüpfe, du schlüpfst, er schlüpft, wir schlüpfen, ihr schlüpft, sie schlüpfen). The past participle is geschlüpft, used with sein for perfect forms. The noun form "das Schlüpfen" denotes the act itself, whether hatching or the figurative act of slipping into something.

See also: related concepts such as hatching in zoology, and figurative expressions involving role-playing or abrupt transitions. The term is primarily used in German-speaking contexts with these two core meanings.