verb
to arise, to originate, to come into being
B1
entstehen is an intransitive strong verb meaning to arise, originate or come into being. It forms perfect with sein: ich bin entstanden; past participle: entstanden. Preterite stem entstand-. Commonly used with aus (entstehen aus etwas) to express origin. Non‑reflexive; no object.
Examples
Die Stadt entstand im Mittelalter.
The city originated in the Middle Ages.
Das Gebäude entstand im Jahr 1963.
The building was built in 1963.
Ein neues Problem entsteht.
A new problem arises.
Details
Mnemonics
Picture a small spark that grows: from that spark a structure 'entsteht' (comes into being).
Sounds a bit like 'enter + stay' — imagine something 'entering' and then 'staying' to remember that it begins to exist.
Notes
Entstehen is intransitive (it does not take a direct object). It uses the auxiliary sein in perfect tenses (ist entstanden). Commonly used for processes, changes of state, or things beginning to exist. | Intransitive verb; passive voice conjugations are not applicable.