stechen
to sting / prick
To penetrate something with a pointed object, such as a needle or an insect stinger, often causing a small wound or pain.
EXAMPLE
Die Biene hat mich in den Arm gestochen.
The bee stung me in the arm.
stechen
to sting / stab
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Meanings
stechen
to stab / hurt sharply
To cause a sharp, sudden pain.
EXAMPLE
Beim schnellen Laufen sticht es mir manchmal in der Seite.
When I run fast, I sometimes get a stabbing pain in my side.
stechen
to be intense
To make itself felt intensely and unpleasantly, especially with sun or smell.
EXAMPLE
Die Mittagssonne sticht heute unbarmherzig vom Himmel.
The midday sun is beating down mercilessly from the sky today.
stechen
to trump
In a card game, to beat an already played card with a higher-ranking card in order to win the trick.
EXAMPLE
Er konnte meine Dame mit dem König stechen.
He was able to trump my queen with the king.
stechen
to tattoo / pierce
To put a tattoo or piercing into the skin.
EXAMPLE
Sie hat sich einen kleinen Anker auf die Schulter stechen lassen.
She had a small anchor tattooed on her shoulder.
stechen
to cut / harvest
To lift or cut certain foods or raw materials out of the ground with a special tool.
EXAMPLE
Im Frühling wird auf den Feldern der erste Spargel gestochen.
In spring, the first asparagus is harvested in the fields.
in See stechen
to set sail
To begin a journey by ship on the sea; to depart.
EXAMPLE
Das Kreuzfahrtschiff wird heute Abend in See stechen.
The cruise ship will set sail this evening.
Usage tips
Context clues
You can recognize the meaning of 'stechen' from the subject: An insect 'sticht' (stings/causes a wound), the sun 'sticht' (is intense), 'es sticht' (there is a stabbing pain), and a ship 'sticht in See' (sets sail).
EXAMPLE
Achtung, eine Wespe sticht dich gleich!
Careful, a wasp is about to sting you!
Sentence structure for stings
When an insect or a person stings or pricks someone, the affected body part is given with the preposition 'in' and the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Der Arzt stach die Nadel in den Arm des Patienten.
The doctor stuck the needle into the patient's arm.
Impersonal pain
To describe a sudden, stabbing pain, you use the impersonal construction 'Es sticht' + dative (person) + 'in' + dative (body region).
EXAMPLE
Beim Treppensteigen sticht es mir im Knie.
When I climb stairs, I get a stabbing pain in my knee.
Intense sensory impressions
In this meaning, 'stechen' is used for intense, often unpleasant impressions such as sun, smell, or even a color. Here the verb is used without an object.
EXAMPLE
Der Geruch von altem Fisch stach in der Nase.
The smell of old fish stung the nose.
Context: card games
In the context of card games, 'stechen' means to beat a card with a higher-ranking card. The structure is: 'jemandes Karte mit einer anderen Karte stechen' (to trump someone's card with another card).
EXAMPLE
Ich konnte seinen König mit meinem Ass stechen.
I was able to trump his king with my ace.
Sentence structure for tattoos
When someone has a tattoo or piercing done, you use the construction 'sich (dative) etwas (accusative) stechen lassen' (to have something tattooed/pierced). The verb 'lassen' (to let/have something done) is crucial here.
EXAMPLE
Er hat sich einen Drachen auf den Rücken stechen lassen.
He had a dragon tattooed on his back.
Typical collocations
In agriculture or horticulture, 'stechen' is used for harvesting certain plants or materials. Typical objects are 'Spargel' (asparagus) or 'Torf' (peat).
EXAMPLE
Die Bauern stechen den ersten Spargel im April.
The farmers harvest the first asparagus in April.
Fixed expression
The idiom 'in See stechen' is a fixed unit and means that a ship begins its journey at sea. The verb 'stechen' is not used on its own here.
EXAMPLE
Der Kapitän gab den Befehl, in See zu stechen.
The captain gave the order to set sail.
Compare with
stechen vs schlagen
to hit / beat
In a card game, „schlagen“ can generally mean that one card beats another. „Stechen“ more specifically means beating a card that has already been played in order to win the trick. Use „stechen“ when winning the trick is the focus; otherwise, „schlagen“ is more general.
stechen
Mit dem Kreuz-Ass konnte sie die ausgespielte Karte stechen und den Stich gewinnen.
She was able to trump the card that had been played with the ace of clubs and win the trick.
schlagen
Mit dem Kreuz-Ass konnte sie die ausgespielte Karte schlagen.
She was able to beat the card that had been played with the ace of clubs.
In real life
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