geraten in
to get into
To unintentionally or accidentally get into a particular, often difficult or unpleasant situation or arrive at a place.
EXAMPLE
Während des Sturms sind wir in Seenot geraten.
During the storm, we got into distress at sea.
geraten
to get into / turn out
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Meanings
geraten
to turn out
To have a particular result; to turn out in a certain way. Often used for the result of creative processes, such as cooking or art, or for the development of children.
EXAMPLE
Das Abendessen ist dir heute aber besonders gut geraten.
Dinner turned out especially well for you today.
aneinander geraten
to clash
To get into an argument or conflict with someone.
EXAMPLE
Die beiden Kollegen sind wegen der Projektleitung heftig aneinandergeraten.
The two colleagues clashed fiercely over the project leadership.
außer sich geraten
to lose control
To lose one's composure and become very angry or upset.
EXAMPLE
Als er die Beleidigung hörte, geriet er vor Wut außer sich.
When he heard the insult, he lost control in anger.
Usage tips
Auxiliary verb in the perfect tense
'Geraten' expresses a change of place or state. For this reason, the perfect tense is always formed with 'sein' (to be).
EXAMPLE
Er ist in eine unangenehme Situation geraten.
He got into an unpleasant situation.
Context clues
The exact meaning of 'geraten' depends heavily on the accompanying words. A preposition like 'in' describes getting into a situation, an adverb like 'gut' (well) evaluates a result, and fixed parts like 'aneinander' (against each other) or 'außer sich' (beside oneself) have their own figurative meaning.
EXAMPLE
Er ist in Panik geraten.
He panicked.
Fixed preposition
In this meaning, 'geraten' is almost always used with the preposition 'in' followed by the accusative. Typical combinations are 'in Schwierigkeiten geraten' (to get into trouble), 'in Gefahr geraten' (to get into danger), or 'in Vergessenheit geraten' (to fall into oblivion).
EXAMPLE
Durch die Krise ist die Firma in finanzielle Schwierigkeiten geraten.
Because of the crisis, the company got into financial difficulties.
Sentence structure when evaluating
When a result is being evaluated, the person who made something is often in the dative. The subject is the thing being evaluated.
EXAMPLE
Das Bild ist dir wirklich fantastisch geraten.
The picture really turned out fantastic for you.
Compare with
geraten vs werden
to become / will
Werden generally describes the new state something reaches. Geraten describes, in the case of something made or creatively produced, how it turned out and thus includes an evaluation of the result. With a cake, both are often possible, but geraten places greater emphasis on the success of the preparation.
geraten
Der Kuchen ist diesmal besonders locker geraten.
The cake turned out especially light this time.
werden
Der Kuchen ist diesmal schön locker geworden.
The cake turned out nice and light this time.
In real life
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