to substitute in / exchange
Loading your saved state.
to substitute in
In sports, to bring a player into the game as a replacement for another.
Der Trainer wird in der zweiten Halbzeit einen frischen Stürmer einwechseln.
The coach will substitute in a fresh striker in the second half.
to exchange
To exchange money from one currency into another. Less common than 'wechseln' (to change/exchange) or 'umtauschen' (to exchange).
Vor dem Urlaub muss ich noch Schweizer Franken in Euro einwechseln.
Before the vacation, I still need to exchange Swiss francs for euros.
'Einwechseln' (to substitute in / exchange) is a separable verb. The prefix 'ein-' stands at the end in a main clause; in subordinate clauses and in the infinitive, it stays attached to the verb. In the infinitive with 'zu', 'zu' stands between the prefix and the verb.
Der Trainer wechselt in der 80. Minute einen neuen Spieler ein.
The coach substitutes in a new player in the 80th minute.
This meaning is used almost exclusively in sports. Words like 'Spieler' (player), 'Trainer' (coach), 'Halbzeit' (half), 'Minute' (minute), or the name of a sport in the sentence make it clear that it is about a substitution in a game.
In der zweiten Halbzeit wurde der verletzte Torwart eingewechselt.
In the second half, the injured goalkeeper was substituted in.
If you want to indicate which player is leaving the field, you use the preposition 'für' (for) with the accusative. The structure is: jemanden (accusative) für jemanden (accusative) einwechseln.
Der junge Stürmer wurde für den müden Kapitän eingewechselt.
The young striker was substituted in for the tired captain.
The meaning 'Geld umtauschen' (to exchange money) is rather rare and formal. You sometimes find it in bank texts, but it is hardly used in everyday language.
Kunden können am Schalter Fremdwährungen einwechseln.
Customers can exchange foreign currencies at the counter.
to change / switch
Both words can express exchanging one currency for another. Wechseln is the usual general form for this; einwechseln is possible in this meaning, but less common. So when speaking neutrally about exchanging money, people usually use wechseln.
Am Flughafen wechselte ich hundert Euro in Dollar ein.
At the airport, I exchanged one hundred euros for dollars.
Am Flughafen wechselte ich hundert Euro in Dollar.
At the airport, I changed one hundred euros into dollars.
