01
stehlen
to steal
To secretly and unlawfully take something from someone that belongs to them.
example
Gestern Nacht hat jemand mein Fahrrad aus dem Keller gestohlen.
Last night someone stole my bike from the basement.
stehlen
to steal
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Strong verb
'Stehlen' (to steal) is a strong verb. Pay attention to the vowel change in the present tense (e → ie for 2nd/3rd person singular) and in the past forms: 'er stiehlt' (he steals), 'er stahl' (he stole), 'er hat gestohlen' (he has stolen).
EXAMPLE
Pass auf deine Tasche auf, damit niemand etwas stiehlt.
Watch your bag so that no one steals anything.
Sentence structure with dative
The verb 'stehlen' (to steal) is often used with two objects. The person something is taken from is in the dative, and the stolen thing is in the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Ein Unbekannter hat mir (Dativ) mein Portemonnaie (Akkusativ) gestohlen.
A stranger stole my wallet from me: 'mir' (dative), 'mein Portemonnaie' (accusative).
Reflexive verb
The expression 'sich davonstehlen' (to sneak away) is reflexive and has a separable prefix. In a main clause, the reflexive pronoun comes directly after the verb and 'davon' comes at the end of the sentence.
EXAMPLE
Er wollte nicht helfen und stahl sich leise davon.
He didn't want to help and quietly sneaked away.
Fixed expression
The idiom 'jemandem die Schau stehlen' (to steal the show from someone) means to unexpectedly get more attention. The person who loses the attention is in the dative.
EXAMPLE
Mit ihrem lustigen Hut hat sie allen anderen die Schau gestohlen.
With her funny hat, she stole the show from everyone else.
Figurative meaning
'Stehlen' (to steal) can also be used with abstract things. Common combinations are 'jemandem die Zeit stehlen' (to steal someone's time) or 'jemandem den letzten Nerv stehlen' (to get on someone's last nerve).
EXAMPLE
Ich will dir nicht deine Zeit stehlen, aber ich habe eine kurze Frage.
I don't want to steal your time, but I have a quick question.
Compare with
stehlen vs kosten
to cost / taste
'kosten' and 'stehlen' can both be connected to time or attention in a figurative sense. 'kosten' is more neutral: something requires time, energy, or effort. 'stehlen' sounds stronger and more negative because something takes your time or attention away as if without permission. Learners may confuse the words when they want to say that something takes a long time. 'Das kostet Zeit' (that takes time) is matter-of-fact. 'Das stiehlt mir Zeit' (that steals my time) emphasizes that the time is being lost or was actually needed for something else.
stehlen
Die vielen kleinen Nachrichten stehlen mir bei der Arbeit die Aufmerksamkeit.
All the little messages steal my attention while I am working.
kosten
Die Vorbereitung auf die Prüfung kostet mich viel Zeit.
Preparing for the exam costs me a lot of time.
In real life
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