Let's delve into the German verb "gehen." It's one of the most fundamental and versatile verbs in the German language, similar to "to go" or "to walk" in English, but with a broader range of uses.
How to Use the German Word "Gehen"
"Gehen" is an irregular verb (strong verb), which means its stem vowel changes in certain conjugations (especially in the simple past and past participle). It also takes "sein" (to be) as its auxiliary verb in the perfect tenses, indicating a change of location or state.
Conjugation (Key Forms):
- Infinitive: gehen
- Present Tense (Präsens):
- ich gehe (I go)
- du gehst (you go - singular, informal)
- er/sie/es geht (he/she/it goes)
- wir gehen (we go)
- ihr geht (you go - plural, informal)
- sie/Sie
1 gehen (they/you go - plural, formal)
- Simple Past (Präteritum):
- ich ging (I went)
- Present Perfect (Perfekt):
- ich bin gegangen (I have gone / I went)
- Past Participle (Partizip II): gegangen
Common Uses and Examples:
-
To Go/Walk (Movement by foot): This is the most basic meaning.
- Ich gehe jetzt nach Hause. (I'm going home now.)
- Wir gingen durch den Park. (We walked through the park.)
- Bist du schon ins Bett gegangen? (Have you already gone to bed?)
-
To Go (General movement, not necessarily by foot): Can be used for any form of movement, though "fahren" (to drive/ride) is used for vehicles.
- Der Zug geht um 8 Uhr. (The train goes at 8 o'clock.) - less common than "fährt"
- Wie geht es zum Bahnhof? (How do I get to the train station?)
-
To Work/Function (about machines, systems, health): Very common idiomatic use.
- Der Motor geht nicht. (The engine isn't working / isn't running.)
- Die Uhr geht genau. (The clock is running accurately.)
- Mir geht es gut. (I'm doing well / I'm fine.) - literally "It goes well for me."
-
To be possible/acceptable (often with "es geht"):
- Geht das? (Is that possible / acceptable?)
- Es geht nicht. (It's not possible / It won't work.)
- Das geht in Ordnung. (That's okay / That works.)
-
To be about/concern (often with "es geht um"):
- Worum geht es? (What's it about?)
- Es geht um die Zukunft. (It's about the future.)
-
To be allowed/permitted (often in negative constructions):
- Das geht nicht! (That's not allowed / That's unacceptable!)
-
To elapse/pass (about time):
- Die Zeit geht schnell. (Time passes quickly.)
-
With separable prefixes (changes meaning significantly): German verbs often combine with prefixes.
- ausgehen: to go out (for entertainment); to run out of something
- eingehen: to enter; to agree to; to perish (plants)
- weggehen: to go away
- vorgehen: to go forward; to proceed; to happen
- zugehen: to close; to happen (informal)
What "Gehen" Means
The core meaning of "gehen" is movement from one place to another, primarily by walking, but it extends to general movement and even abstract movement or progression.
However, due to its frequent use in idioms and fixed expressions, its meaning can expand considerably:
- Literal Movement: To walk, to go, to leave.
- Functionality: To work, to run (e.g., a machine), to be fine (e.g., one's health).
- Possibility/Acceptability: To be possible, to be allowed, to be okay.
- Subject Matter: To be about, to concern.
- Time Progression: To pass, to elapse.
In essence, while "gehen" literally means "to go" or "to walk," it's a chameleon verb that adapts its meaning to the context, making it essential for fluent German communication. It's often used when an English speaker might use "to be," "to do," "to work," or "to happen."
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