Most learners think of the verb gehen when they want to say “to go” in German, but that’s not always correct!
Yes, there are times when you should use gehen, but at other times we use fahren. Both verbs can mean “to go” in different contexts.
The Coffee Break German Show is a podcast series of bite-sized, friendly conversations in which we demystify tricky German language topics. In the latest episode, Mark and Thomas clarify when to use gehen or fahren. Continue reading to find out more and why not listen to the podcast as you go?
Translating “to go” into German
In English, “to go” covers all methods of getting to a destination. For example, we can say:
We are going to the supermarket.
We went to Spain last week.
We are going on a holiday.
However, German requires a more nuanced approach.
When to use ‘fahren’
Usually, when a method of transport, such as car, bus, or train, is involved, then fahren would be used. Here are some examples:
Ich fahre zum Einkaufen.
I am driving / going to the shops.
Er fährt morgen mit dem Zug nach Berlin.
He is going to Berlin tomorrow by train.
Wann fährst du in den Urlaub nach Peru?
When are you going on holiday to Peru?
When to use ‘gehen’
When no method of transport is mentioned, gehen is used. It, therefore, implies that someone is walking somewhere. For example:
Ich gehe zur Post und kaufe eine Briefmarke.
I am going / walking to the post office and I am buying a stamp.
Wenn es schön ist, gehe ich zur Arbeit.
When the weather is nice, I walk to work.
Both of these examples clearly imply that the person is walking and so gehen is used.
Another use of ‘gehen’
The verb gehen is more often used in the context of going somewhere to do an activity or task, or attending something. Let’s look at these examples:
Sie gehen schwimmen.
They are going swimming.
Mein Bruder geht in die Grundschule.
My brother goes to primary school.
The second example shows how the verb gehen is used to mean “to attend”.
To distinguish between gehen and fahren, Mark uses the example:
Wir fahren morgen zum Schwimmbad. Wir gehen schwimmen.
We are going to the swimming pool tomorrow. We are going swimming.
Ready to go?
Before we go, here’s a visual summary of what we’ve learned.
As you can imagine, there is a bit of a grey area, so it’s always best to check if you are not sure. But don’t worry – you will always be understood, even if you mix up the verbs.
If you found this post interesting, make sure to listen to the full episode with Mark and Thomas on The Coffee Break German Show. In this series of chats between our language experts, we look at a range of topics for German learners, so make sure to subscribe to our podcast feed and our channel on YouTube.
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Happy Coffee Breaking!
