Before you start
Meet vorbeigehen
Read how the verb is used, then write your own 10 sentences with it.
Build the meaning
vorbei- + gehen
- vorbei-
- past and beyond a point
- gehen
- to go, to walk
You go past a point and continue beyond it.
So vorbeigehen means to go past; to pass by.
A memory aid, not a rule: prefixes change meaning from verb to verb.
Learning approach inspired by this explanation in r/German.
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
Separable verb: vorbei·gehen
In a main clause the prefix vorbei 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 Weg geht am See vorbei.The path goes past the lake.
Subordinate clauseIch bleibe hier, weil der Weg am See vorbeigeht.I’ll stay here because the path goes past the lake.
Participle: vorbeigegangenzu-infinitive: vorbeizugehen
Forms
How vorbeigehen changes
| Pronoun | Präsens | Präteritum |
|---|---|---|
| ich | gehe vorbei | ging vorbei |
| du | gehst vorbei | gingst vorbei |
| er/sie/es | geht vorbei | ging vorbei |
| wir | gehen vorbei | gingen vorbei |
| ihr | geht vorbei | gingt vorbei |
| Sie | gehen vorbei | gingen vorbei |
Partizip II vorbeigegangen · Perfekt with sein
Three examples
- 1Ich gehe jeden Morgen am Park vorbei.I walk past the park every morning.present, prefix at the end
- 2Sie ist gestern an mir vorbeigegangen.She walked past me yesterday.Perfekt with sein
- 3Ruf mich an, wenn du am Haus vorbeigehst.Call me when you pass the house.verb at the end after wenn
Task 1 of 10 · Build a sentence
Build a German sentence using these words:
vorbeigehen + der Supermarkt
Your challenge
- 1Use the present tense.
- 2Say that you go past der Supermarkt.
Task 2 of 10 · Translate
Translate into German:
We went past it yesterday.
Task 3 of 10 · Translate
Translate into German:
When she went past me, I wavedwinken to her.
Stuck on a word? Hover or tap an underlined word to see it in German.
Task 4 of 10 · Translate
Translate into German:
He went past the stationder Bahnhof because he was latespät.
Stuck on a word? Hover or tap an underlined word to see it in German.
Task 5 of 10 · Translate
Translate into German:
I know the womandie Frau who went past our housedas Haus.
Stuck on a word? Hover or tap an underlined word to see it in German.
Task 6 of 10 · Translate
Translate into German:
You can go past the schooldie Schule and meettreffen us there.
Stuck on a word? Hover or tap an underlined word to see it in German.
Task 7 of 10 · Translate
Translate into German:
She decidedbeschließen to go past the shopder Laden again.
Stuck on a word? Hover or tap an underlined word to see it in German.
Task 8 of 10 · Translate
Translate into German:
Did they go past you on the way homeauf dem Weg nach Hause?
Stuck on a word? Hover or tap an underlined word to see it in German.
Task 9 of 10 · Build a sentence
Build a German sentence using these words:
vorbeigehen + obwohl + der Bus
Your challenge
- 1Start with an obwohl-clause.
- 2Use the simple past for vorbeigehen.
- 3Add a main clause saying we kept waiting.
Task 10 of 10 · Free writing
Answer in one full German sentence:
Have you ever gone past a place you wanted to visit?
Your challenge
- 1Answer in one sentence using the Perfekt.
- 2Name a place you wanted to visit.