einlaufen
to enter
Refers to ships or boats entering a harbor or bay.
EXAMPLE
Das große Kreuzfahrtschiff wird morgen früh in den Hafen einlaufen.
The large cruise ship will enter the harbor early tomorrow morning.
einlaufen
to enter / arrive / shrink
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Meanings
einlaufen
to arrive
Describes the arrival or receipt of news, reports, orders, or payments.
EXAMPLE
Die ersten Spenden für das Projekt sind bereits eingelaufen.
The first donations for the project have already arrived.
einlaufen
to shrink
Describes textiles, especially clothing, shrinking because they were washed at too high a temperature.
EXAMPLE
Der neue Wollpullover ist mir beim Waschen leider eingelaufen.
Unfortunately, my new wool sweater shrank in the wash.
Schuhe einlaufen
to break in shoes
To wear new shoes long enough until they become softer and have adapted to the foot, so that they are comfortable.
EXAMPLE
Vor der großen Wanderung muss ich meine neuen Stiefel erst noch einlaufen.
Before the big hike, I still have to break in my new boots.
einlaufen
to enter
In sports, the act of athletes or teams entering the playing field or stadium, usually at the beginning of a competition.
EXAMPLE
Die Spieler liefen unter dem Jubel der Fans ins Stadion ein.
The players entered the stadium to the cheers of the fans.
einlaufen
to finish
In a race, to cross the finish line; to reach the finish.
EXAMPLE
Der Marathonläufer ist nach nur drei Stunden ins Ziel eingelaufen.
The marathon runner finished after only three hours.
Usage tips
Separable verb
'Einlaufen' (to enter / arrive / shrink) is a separable verb. The prefix 'ein-' comes at the end in a main clause. In subordinate clauses and in the infinitive with 'zu', the verb stays together.
EXAMPLE
Die Flotte läuft in den sicheren Hafen ein.
The fleet enters the safe harbor.
Perfect tense with 'sein'
Since 'einlaufen' (to enter / arrive / shrink) describes movement or a change of state in all of its meanings, the perfect tense is always formed with the auxiliary verb 'sein' (to be).
EXAMPLE
Die E-Mail mit der Bestätigung ist soeben eingelaufen.
The email with the confirmation has just arrived.
Meaning of the prefix
The prefix 'ein-' often suggests movement 'hinein' (into/inward). This applies literally to ships (into the harbor), athletes (into the stadium), and runners (into the finish), but also figuratively to clothing that gets smaller (shrinks inward).
EXAMPLE
Die Mannschaft ist pünktlich zum Anpfiff eingelaufen.
The team entered right on time for kickoff.
Context clue: abstract
When the subject of the sentence is something abstract, 'einlaufen' usually means 'ankommen' (to arrive) or 'eingehen' (to come in / be received). Typical subjects are messages, orders, payments, applications, or complaints.
EXAMPLE
Bis zum Fristende sind über hundert Bewerbungen eingelaufen.
By the deadline, more than one hundred applications had arrived.
Dative construction
When clothing shrinks, the person this happens to can be in the dative. This is a very typical construction in German.
EXAMPLE
Die neue Jeans ist mir leider beim ersten Waschen eingelaufen.
Unfortunately, the new jeans shrank on me the first time I washed them.
Fixed expression with an object
In the meaning 'to make shoes more comfortable', 'einlaufen' is used as a transitive verb with an accusative object. The fixed expression is '(die) Schuhe einlaufen' (to break in shoes).
EXAMPLE
Ich trage die neuen Schuhe zu Hause, um sie für die Party einzulaufen.
I wear the new shoes at home to break them in for the party.
Compare with
einlaufen vs erreichen
to reach
In a race, erreichen and einlaufen can both express successfully arriving at the finish. Erreichen describes this arrival neutrally; einlaufen is associated with sports and is typically used in the fixed expression ins Ziel einlaufen.
einlaufen
Die Läuferin läuft nach drei Stunden ins Ziel ein.
The runner crosses the finish line after three hours.
erreichen
Die Läuferin erreicht nach drei Stunden das Ziel.
The runner reaches the finish after three hours.
In real life
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