01
austreten
to leave
To officially end membership in an organization, association, party, or religious community.
example
Sie hat beschlossen, aus der Kirche auszutreten.
She decided to leave the church.
austreten
to leave / to leak / to stamp out
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Separable verb
'Austreten' (to leave/leak/stamp out) is a separable verb. The prefix 'aus-' stands at the end of the sentence in main clauses. In subordinate clauses and in the infinitive, the verb stays together.
EXAMPLE
Er tritt morgen aus dem Verein aus.
He is leaving the club tomorrow.
Perfect tense with "sein"
The perfect tense of 'austreten' is almost always formed with the auxiliary verb 'sein', because it describes a change of state or movement. For example: 'Das Wasser ist ausgetreten.' (The water has leaked out/overflowed.)
EXAMPLE
Nach dem starken Regen ist der Bach ausgetreten.
After the heavy rain, the stream overflowed.
Sentence structure with "aus"
When ending a membership, you use the structure 'aus etwas (Dativ) austreten' (to leave something, with the dative after aus). Typical organizations are 'die Kirche' (the church), 'ein Verein' (an association/club), or 'eine Partei' (a party).
EXAMPLE
Mein Bruder ist letztes Jahr aus dem Fußballverein ausgetreten.
My brother left the football club last year.
Context: liquids & gases
When the subject of the sentence is a liquid (oil, water) or a gas, 'austreten' means 'entweichen' (to escape) or 'auslaufen' (to leak out). The subject here is always impersonal.
EXAMPLE
Achtung, aus dem Fass tritt eine unbekannte Flüssigkeit aus.
Careful, an unknown liquid is leaking from the barrel.
Register: euphemism
In the meaning 'zur Toilette gehen' (to go to the toilet), 'austreten' is a euphemism, meaning a nicer indirect expression. It sounds somewhat more polite and formal, but it is rather rare in everyday use.
EXAMPLE
Kann ich kurz austreten, bevor der Film anfängt?
Can I step out briefly before the film starts?
Use with accusative
Only in the meaning 'etwas mit den Füßen löschen' (to put something out with one's feet) is 'austreten' transitive and requires an accusative object. You stamp *something* out.
EXAMPLE
Er hat das kleine Lagerfeuer mit seinen Stiefeln ausgetreten.
He stamped out the small campfire with his boots.
Compare with
austreten vs löschen
to extinguish / delete
'löschen' and 'austreten' can both mean that something stops burning. 'löschen' is the general word: you can 'löschen' a fire with water, sand, or a fire extinguisher. 'austreten' only fits when you put out something burning with your foot, for example a cigarette or a small ember. For a large fire, you do not say 'austreten', but 'löschen'.
austreten
Anton tritt die glühende Zigarette vor der Tür aus.
Anton stamps out the glowing cigarette in front of the door.
löschen
Die Feuerwehr löscht den Brand mit viel Wasser.
The fire department is extinguishing the fire with a lot of water.
In real life
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