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Questions & Answers about Alle sind eingestiegen.
Why does this sentence use sind (are) instead of haben (have) for the past tense?
In German, the Perfekt (past tense) usually uses haben, but verbs that describe motion from one place to another or a change of state use sein. Since einsteigen (to board or get in) involves moving into a vehicle, we use sind as the helping verb.
Why is it Alle sind and not Alle ist? Doesn't 'everyone' take a singular verb?
In English, 'everyone' acts as a singular word (we say 'everyone is'). However, in German, alle literally translates to 'all' or 'all people' and is always plural. That is why it takes the plural verb sind.
Why is the -ge- in the middle of eingestiegen?
The infinitive is einsteigen, which is a separable verb made of the prefix ein- and the verb steigen. When forming the past participle for separable verbs, the -ge- goes right between the prefix and the main verb stem, resulting in ein-ge-stiegen.
Why does the end of the word look like -stiegen instead of a regular past participle?