B1 Formal Hesitation
„Ich stehe an, es zu tun."
I hesitate to do it.
What does „Ich stehe an, es zu tun." mean in German?
„Ich stehe an, es zu tun." means "I hesitate to do it.." Literally: "I stand at doing it.."
Literal Translation
"I stand at doing it."
Ich I
stehe stand
an at
es doing
zu it
tun —
English Equivalent
"I'm hesitant to do it."
This English idiom conveys the same meaning as the German expression.
Grammar Notes
'anstehen' = to hesitate
When is this idiom used?
Formal
This expression is used in formal or literary German, often found in written texts and speeches.
Related Words
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He stopped short.
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