gehen
to go, to walk · to leave, to depart · to work, to function, to be possible
Gehen means 'to go' or 'to walk'. It is one of the most common German verbs and is used for movement on foot, leaving a place, and in many idiomatic expressions. It can also describe how something is going or functioning.
What gehen means
- to go, to walk — moving from one place to another on foot
- to leave, to depart — exiting a place or situation
- to work, to function, to be possible — describing how something is going or whether it is acceptable
Heard in real German videos
Lines where gehen was actually spoken, from German videos watched with DeutschChat.
- Okay, Kinder, das geht eindeutig zu weit.Okay, kids, this is clearly going too far.
- Und es geht los.And here we go.
- Bendit, es geht hier nicht um dich.Bendit, this isn't about you.
Example sentences
- Ich gehe jeden Tag zur Arbeit.I walk to work every day.
- Wir gehen heute Abend ins Kino.We are going to the cinema tonight.
- Wie geht es dir?How are you?
- Die Uhr geht nicht.The clock doesn't work.
Grammar
| Present (ich/du/er) | gehe / gehst / geht |
|---|---|
| Simple past | ging |
| Perfect | ist gegangen |
| Separable | no |
| Case | intransitive, no object |
Gehen forms the perfect tense with 'sein' (ich bin gegangen).
Common phrases
- Wie geht's?How's it going? / How are you?
- losgehento start, to set off
- es geht umit's about, it concerns
- gehen lassento let go, to release
- in Ordnung gehento be okay, to work out
The mistake English speakers make
English speakers often mistakenly use 'haben' as the auxiliary verb for 'gehen' (e.g., 'Ich habe gegangen') instead of 'sein'. The correct form is 'Ich bin gegangen'.
Don’t confuse it with
- fahren — Fahren means to go by vehicle (car, train, bike), while gehen means to go on foot or to leave.
- laufen — Laufen can mean to run or to walk, but gehen specifically means to walk at a normal pace.
Questions learners ask
How do you conjugate 'gehen' in the present tense?
ich gehe, du gehst, er/sie/es geht, wir gehen, ihr geht, sie/Sie gehen.
What is the difference between 'gehen' and 'fahren'?
Gehen is used for going on foot or leaving, while fahren is used for going by vehicle (car, train, bike, etc.).
How do you say 'How are you?' in German using 'gehen'?
You say 'Wie geht es dir?' (informal) or 'Wie geht es Ihnen?' (formal). The short form is 'Wie geht's?'