verb
to step, to kick
B1
treten — strong irregular verb meaning 'to step' and 'to kick'. Present: du trittst/er tritt; preterite trat; participle getreten. It uses sein when intransitive/motion (er ist ins Zimmer getreten) and haben when transitive/action on object (er hat den Ball getreten). Not separable or reflexive.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.EXAMPLES
Sie trat vorsichtig auf die nasse Treppe.
She stepped carefully onto the wet stair.
Er trat auf die Bühne.
He stepped onto the stage.
Ich trete auf die Bremse.
I step on the brake.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.DETAILS_LABEL
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.MNEMONICS
Imagine putting your foot through a 'treat' (treat -> treten) as you step on it — the foot action helps recall 'to step' or 'to kick'
Sounds like 'tread' in English (treten -> tread)
N/A for verbs
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.NOTES
Treten can mean either 'to step' (movement) or 'to kick' (forceful action). In perfect tenses it can take either 'sein' (for intransitive movement: er ist ins Zimmer getreten) or 'haben' (for transitive action: er hat den Ball getreten). Watch for stem changes in the present (du trittst, er tritt) and Konjunktiv II (ich träte).