schreiten

Schreiten is a German verb meaning to move forward by taking long steps; to stride or to tread. It often conveys purposeful, measured, or ceremonial motion and is commonly found in literary, ceremonial, or formal contexts. The noun das Schreiten refers to the act of stepping or marching and can describe gait or pace in prose or poetry.

Etymology and grammar: The verb is of Germanic origin and is treated as a strong verb in standard German. In the present tense its forms include ich schreite, du schreitest, er schreitet, wir schreiten, ihr schreitet, sie schreiten. The simple past is schritt (as in ich schritt, er schritt, wir schritten), and the past participle is geschritten, used with the auxiliary sein. The future forms are built with werden, as in ich werde schreiten. In usage, schreiten tends to be more formal or literary than gehen and is often paired with adverbs such as feierlich or langsam to emphasize deliberate motion.

Usage and nuances: Schreiten can describe walking with long, deliberate steps, as in ceremonial processions or formal arrivals. It also appears in expressions such as feierlich schreiten or mit großem Schreiten, highlighting dignity or gravity. In many contexts, it is interchangeable with synonymic verbs like voranschreiten or vorgehen, but it remains distinct for its emphasis on measured cadence and formality.

See also: stride, march, gait. The noun das Schreiten is used primarily in stylistic or historical writing to denote the act of stepping or marching.