to stab / cut away / stand out
abstechen – stach ab – hat abgestochen
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to stab to death
To kill an animal, especially livestock, by stabbing it in the throat; also used informally for stabbing a person to death with a knife.
Der Täter wollte sein Opfer abstechen.
The perpetrator wanted to stab his victim to death.
to cut away
To use a sharp tool to cut something away or remove it from the ground, for example turf, peat, or soil.
Wir müssen zuerst die Rasenkante sauber abstechen.
First, we need to cut away the turf neatly along the edge of the lawn.
to stand out
To stand out clearly from the surroundings or from something else through color, shape, or other features.
Die rote Fassade sticht stark von den grauen Häusern ab.
The red facade stands out sharply against the gray houses.
to rack
To separate wine or another liquid from sediment by carefully transferring it into another container.
Der Winzer muss den jungen Wein im Frühjahr abstechen.
The winemaker needs to rack the young wine in spring.
to scoop out
To divide dough, cream, or a similar mixture into portions, usually with a spoon or a special tool.
Für die Makronen die Masse mit zwei Teelöffeln abstechen und auf das Blech setzen.
For the macaroons, scoop out portions of the mixture using two teaspoons and place them on the baking sheet.
| ich | steche ab |
|---|---|
| du | stichst ab |
| er/sie/es | sticht ab |
| wir | stechen ab |
| ihr | stecht ab |
| sie | stechen ab |
| ich | stach ab |
|---|---|
| du | stachst ab |
| er/sie/es | stach ab |
| wir | stachen ab |
| ihr | stacht ab |
| sie | stachen ab |
| ich | habe abgestochen |
|---|---|
| du | hast abgestochen |
| er/sie/es | hat abgestochen |
| wir | haben abgestochen |
| ihr | habt abgestochen |
| sie | haben abgestochen |
| du | stich ab! |
|---|---|
| ihr | stecht ab! |
| Sie | stechen Sie ab! |
| ich | hatte abgestochen |
|---|---|
| du | hattest abgestochen |
| er/sie/es | hatte abgestochen |
| wir | hatten abgestochen |
| ihr | hattet abgestochen |
| sie | hatten abgestochen |
| ich | werde abstechen |
|---|---|
| du | wirst abstechen |
| er/sie/es | wird abstechen |
| wir | werden abstechen |
| ihr | werdet abstechen |
| sie | werden abstechen |
| ich | steche ab |
|---|---|
| du | stechest ab |
| er/sie/es | steche ab |
| wir | stechen ab |
| ihr | stechet ab |
| sie | stechen ab |
Used for reported speech.
| ich | stäche ab |
|---|---|
| du | stächest ab |
| er/sie/es | stäche ab |
| wir | stächen ab |
| ihr | stächet ab |
| sie | stächen ab |
Used for wishes and “would”.
| infinitive | abstechen |
|---|---|
| with zu | abzustechen |
| present participle | abstechend |
| past participle | abgestochen |
'Abstechen' (to stab / cut away / stand out) is a separable verb made up of 'ab' and 'stechen' (to stab). In a main clause, 'ab' goes at the end of the clause; in a subordinate clause, the verb form stays together. In the infinitive with 'zu', 'zu' goes between the prefix and the stem.
Der Gärtner sticht die Rasenkante ab.
The gardener cuts away the turf along the edge of the lawn.
Sie erklärt, warum der Winzer den Wein absticht.
She explains why the winemaker racks the wine.
Es ist anstrengend, den harten Boden abzustechen.
Cutting away the hard soil is strenuous.
You can often identify the meaning from the sentence structure and the object: an animal or person as the object indicates a fatal stabbing, material or soil indicates cutting something away, 'von etwas abstechen' (to stand out from something) indicates a noticeable difference, and wine or dough indicates a specific processing technique.
Der Täter stach den Mann mit einem Messer ab.
The perpetrator stabbed the man to death with a knife.
Die rote Tür sticht deutlich von der weißen Fassade ab.
The red door stands out clearly against the white facade.
Der Koch sticht kleine Portionen Teig ab.
The chef scoops out small portions of dough.
In this sense, 'abstechen' (to stab to death) often takes an animal or a person as its accusative object, along with a phrase using 'mit' (with) that specifies the knife.
Bei der Hausschlachtung stach der Bauer das Schwein mit einem langen Messer ab.
During the home slaughter, the farmer stabbed the pig to death with a long knife.
When referring to cutting something out of the ground, 'abstechen' (to cut away) is often used with 'Rasen' (turf), 'Erde' (soil), 'Torf' (peat), or 'Kante' (edge). A phrase using 'mit' (with) often gives more detail about the tool or the movement.
Früher stachen die Bauern im Moor mit dem Spaten Torf ab.
In the past, farmers cut away peat in the bog with a spade.
In the sense of 'deutlich hervorstechen' (to stand out clearly), 'abstechen' (to stand out) is often used with 'von' (from) followed by the dative. The subject is the person or thing that stands out.
Mit ihrem knallgelben Mantel stach sie deutlich von den anderen Gästen ab.
With her bright yellow coat, she stood out clearly from the other guests.
This sense is mainly used in winemaking and appears in descriptions of wine handling. Typical accompanying words are 'Wein' (wine) and 'Bodensatz' (sediment).
Nach der Gärung sticht der Winzer den Wein vorsichtig ab.
After fermentation, the winemaker carefully racks the wine.
When portioning dough or cream, 'abstechen' (to scoop out) refers to separating individual portions. A spoon or a special kitchen utensil is often mentioned.
Mit einem nassen Esslöffel sticht er Nocken aus der Grießmasse ab.
He uses a wet tablespoon to scoop dumplings out of the semolina mixture.
