in der Kreide stehen

German

Etymology

Literally, to be in the chalk.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˌɪn dɐ ˈkʁaɪ̯də ˌʃteːən/
  • Audio (Germany (Berlin)):(file)

Verb

in der Kreide stehen (irregular strong, third-person singular present steht in der Kreide, past tense stand in der Kreide, past participle in der Kreide gestanden, past subjunctive stände in der Kreide or stünde in der Kreide, auxiliary haben or sein)

  1. (idiomatic) to be in (someone's) debt [with bei and dative ‘with who’]
    Ich stehe noch bei meinem Nachbarn in der Kreide.
    I still owe my neighbor money.

Usage notes

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