sterben
See also: Sterben
German
Etymology
From Middle High German sterben, from Old High German sterban, from Proto-Germanic *sterbaną, itself either from Proto-Indo-European *(s)terp- (“to lose force; lose sensibility, become numb; be dead, be motionless”) or from Proto-Indo-European *sterbʰ- (“to be stiff, become stiff”). Cognate with Dutch sterven, Low German starven, stiärven, sterven, staarven, West Frisian stjerre, English starve.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈʃtɛrbən/, [ˈʃtɛʁ.bm̩], [ˈʃtɛɐ̯-], [-bən]
Audio: (file) Audio: (file) Audio: (file) Audio (Austria): (file) - Rhymes: -ɛʁbn̩
- Hyphenation: ster‧ben
Verb
sterben (class 3 strong, third-person singular present stirbt, past tense starb, past participle gestorben, past subjunctive stürbe, auxiliary sein)
- (intransitive) to die
- Mein Hund ist gestorben. ― My dog has died.
- (transitive or intransitive) to die [with accusative or genitive ‘a (particular kind of) death’]
- Das Opfer ist einen schrecklichen Tod gestorben.
- Das Opfer ist eines schrecklichen Todes gestorben.
- The victim died a terrible death.
Conjugation
Conjugation of sterben (class 3 strong, auxiliary sein)
| infinitive | sterben | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| present participle | sterbend | ||||
| past participle | gestorben | ||||
| auxiliary | sein | ||||
| indicative | subjunctive | ||||
| singular | plural | singular | plural | ||
| present | ich sterbe | wir sterben | i | ich sterbe | wir sterben |
| du stirbst | ihr sterbt | du sterbest | ihr sterbet | ||
| er stirbt | sie sterben | er sterbe | sie sterben | ||
| preterite | ich starb | wir starben | ii | ich stürbe1 | wir stürben1 |
| du starbst | ihr starbt | du stürbest1 du stürbst1 |
ihr stürbet1 ihr stürbt1 | ||
| er starb | sie starben | er stürbe1 | sie stürben1 | ||
| imperative | stirb (du) | sterbt (ihr) | |||
1Rare except in very formal contexts; alternative in würde normally preferred.
Composed forms of sterben (class 3 strong, auxiliary sein)
Derived terms
- Hungers sterben
- Massensterben
- Sterbealter
- Sterbejahr
- Sterben n
- Sterbensforschung
- sterbenskrank
- sterblich