vertreten
German, verb
vertreten is spelled V-E-R-T-R-E-T-E-N (9 letters) and appears 59 times per million words in written German, the 1,461st most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Vertreten is a German verb meaning “to step in, fill (a stead, gap)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). With a capital, Vertreten is a different word: “gerund of vertreten”. The German Wiktionary defines it as “zeitweise an Stelle von jemand anderem handeln, repräsentieren”.
What does vertreten mean in English?
verb
- 1
to step in, fill (a stead, gap)
Er vertritt die Stelle des Direktors.
- 2
to fill in for, to substitute
Er vertritt den Direktor.
- 3
to represent
Der Anwalt vertritt seinen Mandanten.
- 4
to advocate, defend (a cause), to hold (an opinion)
Der Anwalt vertritt die Rechte seines Mandanten.
- 5
to go for a walk (especially after a long period of sitting)
Ich habe mir im Park die Füße vertreten.
- 6
to sprain one’s leg/foot/knee/ankle
Ich habe mir im Park den Fuß vertreten.
noun
- 1
neutergerund of vertreten
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
verb: 1. zeitweise an Stelle von jemand anderem handeln, repräsentieren 2. für eine Auffassung einstehen 3. nur Partizip: dasein 4. den Fuß verletzen
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of vertreten
- vertritt present singular third-person
- vertrat past
- verträte past subjunctive
- haben auxiliary
- 5 strong
- vertretend participle present
- vertrete first-person indicative present
- vertrittst indicative present second-person
- vertretet indicative plural present
- vertretest second-person singular subjunctive
- vertraten first-person indicative plural
- verträten first-person formal plural
- vertratest indicative preterite second-person
- vertratst indicative preterite second-person
- vertratet indicative plural preterite
- verträtest formal rare second-person
- verträtet formal plural rare
- habe vertreten first-person indicative multiword-construction
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
English words that translate to vertreten
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is vertreten in German?
vertreten appears 59 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).