Gehen means "to go" or "to walk" and is used when someone moves on foot or proceeds somewhere. It’s a core verb for travel and daily routines.
- Gehen = to go (on foot), to walk.
- It’s a regular verb for conjugation patterns but often appears in idioms.
- Used when the subject moves themselves (not for driving a car, etc.).
Present Tense: A→E Stem-Like Pattern
Gehen is regular in the present tense, but the stem changes slightly (geh-) and follows the pattern for "-en" verbs. Because it expresses motion, it’s a key verb in everyday conversation.
| Person | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ich | gehe | I go/walk |
| du | gehst | you go/walk |
| er/sie/es | geht | he/she/it goes/walks |
| wir | gehen | we go/walk |
| ihr | geht | you all go/walk |
| sie/Sie | gehen | they/you (formal) go/walk |
- The stem is geh-.
- The endings are the standard ones for regular verbs: -e, -st, -t, -en, -t, -en.
Simple Past (Präteritum)
In narrative contexts, gehen uses an irregular stem and typical endings for verbs: ging-.
| Person | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ich | ging | I went |
| du | gingst | you went |
| er/sie/es | ging | he/she/it went |
| wir | gingen | we went |
| ihr | gingt | you all went |
| sie/Sie | gingen | they/you went |
- Stem for past: ging-
- Endings match regular verb endings for Präteritum.
Past Participle & Auxiliary (Perfekt)
Use gehen with sein for the perfect tense—a hallmark of verbs expressing movement/change.
- Past Participle: gegangen
- Auxiliary: sein
| Subject | Perfekt Form | English Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Ich | bin gegangen | I have gone/walked |
| Du | bist gegangen | You have gone |
| Er/Sie/Es | ist gegangen | He/She/It has gone |
| Wir | sind gegangen | We have gone |
| Ihr | seid gegangen | You (pl.) have gone |
| Sie | sind gegangen | They/You (formal) have gone |
Example Sentences
| Tense | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| Present | Ich gehe zur Schule. | I go to school. |
| Gehst du heute Abend aus? | Are you going out tonight? | |
| Simple Past | Wir gingen nach Berlin. | We went to Berlin. |
| Ging er zu Fuß? | Did he go on foot? | |
| Perfekt | Sie ist nach Hause gegangen. | She has gone home. |
| Seid ihr spazieren gegangen? | Have you gone for a walk? |
Conclusion:
Gehen is an essential German verb meaning "to go" or "to walk," used for moving on foot. It behaves like a regular verb in the present tense but has an irregular stem in the past and uses sein as its auxiliary in the perfect tense.
- You use gehen when people move themselves, especially by walking.
- Remember the stem geh- for present, ging- for past, and gegangen for the participle.
- Don’t use gehen for someone driving a car—only for walking or similar movement.