Before you start
Meet losgehen
Read how the verb is used, then write your own 10 sentences with it.
All 3 meanings
- to leave
- to start
- to go off
Build the meaning
los- + gehen
- los-
- away from a starting point; into motion
- gehen
- to go, walk
You go away from where you were, setting out or beginning to move.
So losgehen means to set off; to start.
A memory aid, not a rule: prefixes change meaning from verb to verb.
Learning approach inspired by this explanation in r/German.
Separable verb: los·gehen
In a main clause the prefix los splits off and goes to the end. After weil, dass and other subordinating words, the verb stays in one piece at the end.
Main clauseDer Zug geht gleich los.The train is leaving soon.
Subordinate clauseIch rufe dich an, wenn der Film losgeht.I'll call you when the film starts.
Participle: losgegangenzu-infinitive: loszugehen
Forms
How losgehen changes
| Pronoun | Präsens | Präteritum |
|---|---|---|
| ich | gehe los | ging los |
| du | gehst los | gingst los |
| er/sie/es | geht los | ging los |
| wir | gehen los | gingen los |
| ihr | geht los | gingt los |
| Sie | gehen los | gingen los |
Partizip II losgegangen · Perfekt with sein
Three examples
- 1Der Film geht um acht Uhr los.The film starts at eight.present tense, split prefix
- 2Das Fest ist gestern pünktlich losgegangen.The party started on time yesterday.Perfekt with sein
- 3Wir müssen jetzt losgehen.We have to set off now.infinitive after modal
Verb family
More verbs built on gehen
Same base verb, a different prefix, a new meaning.
- ausgehento go out, assume
- eingehento deal with, give attention
- weitergehento go on
- angehento concern, go on
- zurückgehento go back, decrease
- umgehento treat, handle
- hingehento go there
- zugehento approach, close