Umsteigen is the verb every traveller in a German-speaking country needs. It means "to change (trains, buses, trams)" — to get off one vehicle and onto another to continue a journey. In Köln müssen wir umsteigen means "We have to change (trains) in Cologne." It is built on the strong verb steigen ("to climb / to get on or off a vehicle"), so its past forms are irregular, and it is separable: the prefix um- breaks off and goes to the end of the clause. As a verb of motion it forms its Perfekt with sein. There is also a productive figurative sense — "to switch over (to something else)," from energy sources to careers.
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Präteritum | Partizip II (auxiliary) |
|---|---|---|
| umsteigen | stieg um | umgestiegen (ist) |
Read this as umsteigen – stieg um – ist umgestiegen. The Perfekt auxiliary is sein, because steigen expresses motion/change of position, and motion verbs take sein. The participle is umgestiegen: prefix um- in front, then the -ge- of the participle, then the strong stem -stiegen (um + ge + stiegen). The strong vowel pattern is ei → ie → ie (steigen – stieg – gestiegen). See haben vs sein in the Perfekt.
A note on the prefix um-
The prefix um- is one of German's "dual prefixes" — sometimes separable, sometimes inseparable, with different meanings. With umsteigen in the travel sense, it is separable and stressed (ÚMsteigen), with the prefix detaching. This is the form you need for trains and buses. (The same string um- appears inseparably in words like umfahren in the sense "to drive around," but that is a different verb; umsteigen is always separable.)
Präsens (present)
Steigen is regular in the present (no stem-vowel change), so umsteigen is too. Only the prefix moves.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | steige ... um |
| du | steigst ... um |
| er / sie / es | steigt ... um |
| wir | steigen ... um |
| ihr | steigt ... um |
| sie / Sie | steigen ... um |
The conjugated stem sits in second position; the prefix um lands at the clause end.
In Mannheim steigen wir in den ICE nach München um.
In Mannheim we change to the ICE to Munich. (prefix 'um' at the end; in + accusative for the new vehicle)
Steigst du am Hauptbahnhof um oder fährst du durch?
Are you changing at the main station, or are you going straight through? (informal)
Hier steigt man am besten in die U-Bahn um.
The best place to change to the underground is here. (impersonal 'man')
Präteritum (simple past)
The strong past stem is stieg (from steigen → stieg). The prefix still detaches.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | stieg ... um |
| du | stiegst ... um |
| er / sie / es | stieg ... um |
| wir | stiegen ... um |
| ihr | stiegt ... um |
| sie / Sie | stiegen ... um |
In conversation the Perfekt is preferred; the Präteritum stieg ... um belongs to written narrative.
In Frankfurt stiegen die Reisenden in einen Anschlusszug um.
In Frankfurt the travellers changed onto a connecting train. (narrative past)
Perfekt (present perfect)
Built with sein + the participle umgestiegen. This is the everyday spoken past.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | bin umgestiegen |
| du | bist umgestiegen |
| er / sie / es | ist umgestiegen |
| wir | sind umgestiegen |
| ihr | seid umgestiegen |
| sie / Sie | sind umgestiegen |
The participle stays whole as umgestiegen. The auxiliary is sein (bin/bist/ist...), never haben — the classic trap for English speakers.
Wir sind in Hamburg umgestiegen und haben den Anschluss knapp erreicht.
We changed in Hamburg and just barely caught the connection. (auxiliary 'sind', not 'haben')
Ich bin versehentlich in die falsche Linie umgestiegen.
I accidentally changed onto the wrong line. (informal)
Plusquamperfekt (past perfect)
Past form of the auxiliary (war) + umgestiegen.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | war umgestiegen |
| du | warst umgestiegen |
| er / sie / es | war umgestiegen |
| wir | waren umgestiegen |
| ihr | wart umgestiegen |
| sie / Sie | waren umgestiegen |
Als die Durchsage kam, war ich zum Glück schon umgestiegen.
When the announcement came, luckily I had already changed trains.
Futur I
Formed with werden + the whole infinitive umsteigen at the clause end.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde umsteigen |
| du | wirst umsteigen |
| er / sie / es | wird umsteigen |
| wir | werden umsteigen |
| ihr | werdet umsteigen |
| sie / Sie | werden umsteigen |
Am Flughafen werden wir auf die S-Bahn umsteigen.
At the airport we'll change to the suburban train.
Imperativ (commands)
The du-imperative is steig (no vowel change), prefix at the end.
| Addressee | Form |
|---|---|
| du | Steig ... um |
| ihr | Steigt ... um |
| Sie | Steigen Sie ... um |
Steig in Köln um, sonst fährst du bis Aachen durch!
Change in Cologne, otherwise you'll ride all the way to Aachen! (informal du-command)
Konjunktiv II (would / hypothetical)
The synthetic Konjunktiv II of steigen is stiege (no umlaut is added — the stem stieg already has ie; only an -e is appended). In speech the würde-form (würde ... umsteigen) is more common.
| Person | Synthetic | würde-form |
|---|---|---|
| ich | stiege ... um | würde ... umsteigen |
| du | stiegest ... um | würdest ... umsteigen |
| er / sie / es | stiege ... um | würde ... umsteigen |
| wir | stiegen ... um | würden ... umsteigen |
| ihr | stieget ... um | würdet ... umsteigen |
| sie / Sie | stiegen ... um | würden ... umsteigen |
Wenn der Zug Verspätung hätte, würde ich lieber auf den Bus umsteigen.
If the train were delayed, I'd rather switch to the bus. (würde-form, natural in speech)
Government, valency, and the figurative sense
Umsteigen is intransitive — no accusative object. The vehicle you change to is introduced with in + accusative (in den Zug, in die U-Bahn) or auf + accusative (auf den Bus, auf die S-Bahn). The directional accusative is essential: you are moving into the new vehicle, so it answers wohin? ("to where?"), which always triggers the accusative after a two-way preposition.
The figurative sense, "to switch (over) to something else," is extremely common in modern German — switching products, technologies, energy sources, or careers. Here, too, the target is marked with auf + accusative.
Viele Haushalte sind auf Ökostrom umgestiegen.
Many households have switched to green electricity. (figurative; auf + accusative)
Nach Jahren im Büro ist sie auf einen handwerklichen Beruf umgestiegen.
After years in the office she switched to a skilled trade. (figurative 'change careers')
How this differs from English
English uses two different words, "change (trains)" and "transfer," and never moves a prefix to the clause end. Where English says "We change at Cologne," German uses a verb whose prefix um- already encodes the idea of swapping vehicles, and marks the new vehicle with a directional accusative (in den Zug) rather than the city. The biggest pitfall, as with all motion verbs, is the auxiliary: English "we have changed" maps to German wir sind umgestiegen — sein, not haben. English gives no hint of this.
Common Mistakes
❌ Wir haben in Köln umgestiegen.
Wrong auxiliary — umsteigen is a motion verb and takes sein, not haben.
✅ Wir sind in Köln umgestiegen.
We changed (trains) in Cologne.
❌ Ich steige in dem Zug um.
Wrong case — 'into the new train' is directional (wohin?), so it needs the accusative: in den Zug.
✅ Ich steige in den Zug um.
I'm changing onto the train.
❌ Wo muss ich um?
Dropped verb stem — the separable prefix can't stand alone; you need the full verb steigen plus 'um'.
✅ Wo muss ich umsteigen?
Where do I have to change?
❌ Sie ist auf Solarenergie umsteigen.
Wrong form — the Perfekt needs the participle umgestiegen, not the infinitive.
✅ Sie ist auf Solarenergie umgestiegen.
She switched to solar energy.
❌ Wir steigen den Bus um.
Missing preposition — you change INTO a vehicle, so use in/auf + accusative, not a bare accusative.
✅ Wir steigen in den Bus um.
We're changing to the bus.
Key Takeaways
- Principal parts: umsteigen – stieg um – ist umgestiegen (Perfekt with sein — it's a motion verb).
- Strong vowel pattern ei–ie–ie: no present vowel change; stieg (past), umgestiegen (participle).
- Separable and stressed (ÚMsteigen): the prefix um goes to the clause end; participle is one word, umgestiegen.
- Intransitive: no accusative object; the new vehicle takes in/auf
- accusative (directional, wohin?).
- Figurative "switch to" (auf Ökostrom umsteigen) is very common; part of the einsteigen / aussteigen / umsteigen travel family.
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