sich einschleichen
to sneak in
To go to a place secretly, quietly, and unnoticed.
EXAMPLE
Der Fuchs hat sich nachts in den Hühnerstall eingeschlichen.
The fox sneaked into the henhouse at night.
einschleichen
to sneak in
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Meanings
sich einschleichen
to creep in
Used figuratively for something negative, such as an error or a bad habit, that develops slowly and unnoticed or becomes part of something.
EXAMPLE
In den langen Text haben sich leider einige Tippfehler eingeschlichen.
Unfortunately, a few typos crept into the long text.
sich bei jemandem einschleichen
to ingratiate oneself
To gain a person's trust or affection in a subtle or flattering way, often with dishonest intentions.
EXAMPLE
Er versuchte, sich mit Komplimenten bei der neuen Vorgesetzten einzuschleichen.
He tried to ingratiate himself with the new supervisor by giving compliments.
Usage tips
Separable verb
'Einschleichen' (to sneak in) is a separable verb. The prefix 'ein-' separates in a main clause and goes at the end. The verb is irregular: einschleichen, schlich ein, eingeschlichen.
EXAMPLE
Ein Fehler schlich sich in die Berechnung ein.
An error crept into the calculation.
Word structure
The verb consists of 'ein-' (into/in) and 'schleichen' (to move quietly and slowly). The literal meaning 'to move secretly into something' is the basis for all figurative meanings.
EXAMPLE
Die Katze schlich sich leise ins Haus ein.
The cat sneaked quietly into the house.
Reflexive use
This verb is almost always used reflexively with 'sich'. This applies to the literal meaning (to move secretly into something) and to all figurative meanings (errors, habits).
EXAMPLE
In meinen Text hat sich ein Tippfehler eingeschlichen.
A typo crept into my text.
Sentence structure with preposition
The preposition indicates the meaning. 'Sich in etwas (accusative) einschleichen' means to get into something unnoticed. 'Sich bei jemandem (dative) einschleichen' means to sneak one's way into someone's trust.
EXAMPLE
Ein Virus hat sich in das Computersystem eingeschlichen.
A virus has crept into the computer system.
Typical collocations
In the figurative meaning, 'sich einschleichen' (to creep in) is very often used for negative, unnoticed developments. Typical subjects are: an error, a misunderstanding, an inaccuracy, or a bad habit.
EXAMPLE
Mit der Zeit haben sich einige schlechte Gewohnheiten in seinen Alltag eingeschlichen.
Over time, some bad habits have crept into his everyday life.
Compare with
einschleichen vs schleichen
to sneak
Both verbs describe moving quietly and unnoticed toward or through a place. Schleichen mainly emphasizes the slow, cautious manner of moving. Sich einschleichen additionally emphasizes secretly getting into a place. Use schleichen for the manner of movement and sich einschleichen for getting in unnoticed.
einschleichen
Der Mann schlich sich unbemerkt in das leere Gebäude ein.
The man secretly sneaked into the empty building without being noticed.
schleichen
Der Mann schlich leise durch den dunklen Flur.
The man quietly sneaked through the dark hallway.
In real life
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