verb
to represent, to stand in for
B1
Means 'to represent' or 'to stand in for'. Strong irregular verb with present stem change (er tritt → vertritt) and participle vertreten; auxiliary haben. Non‑reflexive. Used for legal, political or workplace substitution and representation. In perfect tenses use 'haben' (e.g., hat vertreten).
Examples
Die Anwältin vertritt ihre Mandanten vor Gericht.
The lawyer represents her clients in court.
Er vertrat seine Firma auf der Messe.
He represented his company at the trade fair.
Die Anwältin vertrat den Mandanten, obwohl der Fall kompliziert war.
The lawyer represented the client, although the case was complicated.
Details
Mnemonics
Picture a person 'standing in front' of a group to represent them.
sounds like 'vert' + 'reten' — think 'VERT-RE-present'.
Notes
Present tense has a stem consonant change in 2nd/3rd person singular (du vertrittst, er vertritt). Common usages: 'jemanden vertreten' (represent someone) and 'für jemanden vertreten' (stand in).