treten

Treten is a German verb with several related meanings centered on stepping or moving with the foot. The primary sense is physical: to step, to tread, or to walk by placing one foot in front of the other. It can also mean to kick or strike with the foot, depending on context. In non-physical uses, treten appears in fixed expressions such as in Kraft treten (to come into effect) and, with prefixed forms, to indicate joining or entering in a figurative sense.

In addition to its base sense, treten forms part of several common constructions. Beitreten, a prefixed form meaning to join or become a member, uses treten as its verb root. The act of coming into force is expressed with in Kraft treten. The verb can also appear in phrases describing movement or progression, such as jemandem zu Hilfe treten (to step in to help).

Conjugation and grammar: treten is a strong verb with stem vowel changes in the present tense. Present: ich trete, du trittst, er tritt, wir treten, ihr tretet, sie treten. Simple past (preterite): ich trat, du tratst, er trat, wir traten, ihr tratet, sie traten. Past participle: getreten. The auxiliary chosen depends on meaning: with intransitive movement, it typically uses sein (ist getreten); with transitive uses such as kick someone, it takes haben (hat getreten).

Etymology and related languages: treten derives from Old High German trettan, related to Dutch treden and English tread. It shares cognates across Germanic languages, reflecting the common root for stepping and movement.

See also: tread; in Kraft treten; beitreten.