German edit

Etymology edit

From gegenüber +‎ stehen.

Pronunciation edit

  • (file)

Verb edit

gegenüberstehen (irregular strong, third-person singular present steht gegenüber, past tense stand gegenüber, past participle gegenübergestanden, past subjunctive stände gegenüber or stünde gegenüber, auxiliary haben or sein)

  1. to face, to stand face-to-face with [+dative]
  2. (reflexive) to contradict each other (e.g. of viewpoints)
  3. (reflexive, sports) to face each other, to play against each other
  4. to contrast [+dative = with]

Usage notes edit

Only the auxiliary haben is used in northern and central Germany. In southern Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, sein is common in the vernacular and also, alternatively, in standard usage.

Conjugation edit

Further reading edit