Dutch Verb gaan ('to go') - Smartphones Page

'Gaan'   is a strong verb: it has a vowel change for the past tense, and even a consonant change: gaan / ging / gegaan 2 - but it is not as irregular as its English equivalent

gaan		to go
ik ga		I go, I'm going
wij gaan		we go, we're going
ik ging		I went
wij gingen		we went
ik ben gegaan		I have gone

simple present tense
gaan		to go
ik ga		I go, I'm going
jij gaat		you go, you're going (singular, informal you)
hij gaat		he goes, he's going
wij gaan		we go, we're going
jullie gaan		you go, you're going (plural, informal you)
zij gaan		they go, they're going
U gaat		you go, you're going (polite you)
2

To keep the vowel 'long,' the second and third person singular need to double the A before the T.
Compare: (het) gat ('hole')

ga ik?		am I going?
ga jij?		are you going?
gaat hij?		is he going?
gaan wij?		are we going?
gaan jullie?		are y'all going?
gaan zij?		are they going?
gaat U?		are you going?

simple past tense
(gaan)		to go
ik ging		I went
jij ging		you went
hij ging		he went
wij gingen		we went
jullie gingen		y'all went
zij gingen		they went
U ging		you went
2

present perfect tense
ik ben gegaan 'I have gone' ('I went')
auxiliary verb zijn

When in the perfect tense combined with other verbs, gaan is not in the form of the past participle but as an infinitive
ik ben gaan ... 2 3 "I have gone ..., I have come" De wind is gaan liggen The wind has ['gone to lay down'] died down Ik ben gaan wandelen I have gone for a stroll, I went hiking Ik ben gaan waarderen ... 2 3 I have [gone] come to appreciate ... Ik ben gaan twijfelen ... 2 I've come to doubt ... - more

Examples of Usage

'Gaan' is like English 'to go' - it can mean 'to move to another place' or by extension it can be used as an 'informal future tense' or to state an intention or a plan for the future. There are also many compound verbs with 'gaan' in Dutch.

'Gaan' - Moving to Another Place

Ik ga naar huis I'm going home We gingen naar huis 2 We went home Ik ging vroeg naar huis 2 3 4 I went home early We gingen naar huis toen het donker werd 2 We went home when it got dark Ik ga naar Parijs 2 I'm going to Paris Hij gaat naar Rotterdam 2 He's going to Rotterdam Morgen gaat hij naar Den Haag 2 Tomorrow he's going to The Hague Ik ga naar de stad 2 3 I'm going to town (for shopping, dining etc.) Ik ga even naar de bakker 2 I'll make a quick run to the bakery

Ik ga naar boven 2 3 I'm going up (upstairs) Ga je naar beneden? 2 Are you going down? (downstairs) We gingen naar beneden met de lift We took the elevator down We gingen met de roltrap naar boven We took the escalator up De lift gaat naar beneden 2 3 4 The elevator is going down Prijzen gaan niet vaak omlaag Prices do not often go down

Ik ga meestal om half elf naar bed I usually go to bed at 10:30 ->>

Ga jij? 2 Are you going? (to an event etc.) Als ik jou was zou ik niet gaan If I were you I wouldn't go

Ga je met de auto? 2 Are you going by car? Ga je met je eigen auto? Are you going with your own car? Ga je op de fiets naar je werk? Do you go to work on your bike? Do you ride your bike to work?

Waar ga je heen? 2 3 Where are you going? Waar ga je naar toe? 2 3 Where are you going? Waar gaan jullie heen op vakantie? Where are you guys going on vacation?

Ga direct naar huis 2 Go home right away

Ga linksaf Go left, make a left-hand turn Ga rechtsaf Go right, make a right-hand turn Ga bij 't kruispunt rechts 2 Go right on the intersection, take a right at the intersection Ga terug 2 Go back Aan het eind van de straat gaan we rechtsaf At the end of the street we'll go right, make a right turn

ik ga morgen naar de kapper [Tomorrow I'm going to the barber, stylist] - I'll get a haircut tomorrow

Op zondag gaan we naar de kerk 2 Sundays we go to church Met Kerstmis gingen we naar de nachtmis At Christmas we went to midnight mass

Hij ging het huis in He went into the house Hij ging het huis binnen He went [inside] into the house Hij is even naar buiten gegaan He [has gone, went] stepped out for a moment

... en toen ben ik naar Amerika gegaan ... and then I [[have gone,] went] moved to the US

'To move,' like pick up your stuff and go live in another place is verhuizen 2

verhuizen		to move
ik verhuisde		I moved
ik ben verhuisd		I have moved
2		more 'verhuizen'

't Gaat me boven de pet 2 (expression) [It goes ...] - 'It's over my [cap] head' - I don't understand it, it's too difficult for me

Want de mens gaat naar z'n eeuwig huis en de rouwklagers gaan rond op de straat Because man goes to his eternal home, and the (professional) mourners go about the streets

Ik ben gaan vissen 2 3 (I have) gone fishing!

'Gaan' - Plans, Intentions, Future

Morgen gaan we lijnen Tomorrow we'll start dieting Morgen ga ik witlof maken Tomorrow I'll make Belgian endives ->> Ik ga morgen bij m'n moeder eten Tomorrow I'm going to have dinner (or lunch) at my mother's house

Ik ga morgen in Ede een huis verven Tomorrow I'm going to paint a house in Ede Ik ga overmorgen een schuur bouwen in Barneveld
Ik ga overmorgen in Barneveld een schuur bouwen The day after tomorrow I'm going to build a (large) shed in Barneveld

Volgende week ga ik Elly in Edam bloemen geven 2 Next week I'll [give] bring flowers to Elly in Edam Ik denk dat ik het huis wit ga verven I think I'll paint the house white

Ik ga er zo mee beginnen 2 3 4 I'll start on it soon, in a moment (but also said when endlessly postponing)

Ik ga er niet op wachten 2 3 4 I'm not going to wait for it

Hij gaat het proberen He's going to try (it)

Ik ga zwemmen I'm going [swimming] for a swim Ik wil gaan zwemmen I want to go for a swim Ik wil gaan wandelen I want to go for a stroll Ze wilde gaan zwemmen 2 3 She wanted to go swimming Zullen we gaan zwemmen? Shall we go swimming? Morgen wil ik gaan hardlopen 2 Tomorrow I want to go running We gaan morgen voetballen Tomorrow we're going to play soccer

Zullen we naar de film gaan? slow slow 2 Shall we go [to the] see a movie? Vanavond gaan we naar de bioscoop Tonight we're going to [the cinema] see a movie

We gaan overmorgen op reis The day after tomorrow we'll be travelling Dit jaar gaan we naar Frankrijk This year we're going to France We gaan donderdag op vakantie 2 3 Thursday we're going on vacation

Ga zitten 2 [Go sit] Sit down, Take a seat Ga meteen je huiswerk maken Go do your homework right away, Start on your homework immediately Ga toch fietsen! 2 3 [Go ride a bike] - Take a hike (I don't believe what you're saying and you're wasting my time)

Ga zo voort! 2 [Go on like that] - Carry on! Gaat heen en vermenigvuldigt U 2 Go forth and multiply Ga je gang 2 Go ahead, do it your way (but I would do it differently) - in jest, said in English: 'go your gang'

We gaan zo eten 2 3 We're going to eat in a moment, We'll have dinner (or lunch) very soon We gaan uit eten We're going to eat out (in a restaurant) Zullen we ergens gaan eten? 2 Shall we go eat somewhere? - in a restaurant

... en toen gingen we eten 2 ... and then we had food ... en dan gaan we eten 2 ... and then we'll eat toen 2 3 'then' - in the past
- Disambiguation: Toen
dan 2 'then' - in the future
- Disambiguation: Dan
English may translate the 'gaan eten' in various ways, like 'have dinner,' 'sit down at the table' etc.

't Gaat regenen 2 It's going to rain Gaat 't regenen? 2 Is it going to rain? Gaat 't hard regenen? Is it going to rain hard? Gaat 't morgen regenen? 2 Is it going to rain tomorrow? Gaat 't morgen hard regenen? Is it going to rain hard tomorrow? Waar gaat 't regenen? Where is it going to rain? Volgende week gaat het regenen Next week it's going to rain 't Lijkt of 't gaat regenen It looks like [it's going to] rain

We zouden gaan fietsen maar 't begon te regenen We were going to make a bike ride but it started to rain

At the railroad crossing (de) spoorwegovergang
De spoorbomen gaan open the railway barriers are opening De spoorbomen gaan dicht the railway barriers are closing

Als de dagen lengen, gaan de nachten strengen (saying) As the days become longer, the nights get more severe (i.e. colder)

Weet je al wanneer 't gaat gebeuren? 2 3 Do you already know when it's going to happen? (a 'big' event like major surgery)

'Gaan' - Translated by Other Verbs

gaat? 2 3 4

twaalf 2 3

Hoe gaat 't? How is it going? How are you doing? Gaat 't wel? 2 Are you doing OK? (It looks like you're not OK) 't Gaat wel 2 3 I'm OK (but not great)

Met mij gaat 't goed I'm doing well, I'm fine Het gaat goed It's going well, I'm doing fine

Dat ging maar net goed 2 3 That only just went right (it could easily have gone terribly wrong)
Sommige dagen gaat alles mis 2 On some days everything goes wrong Sommige dagen gaat er van alles mis On some days all kinds of things go wrong

Hoe gaat 't op je werk? How are things at work? Hoe gaat 't met je werk? How is your work coming along? How is your job? Hoe gaat 't met je studie? How are your studies? How are things at school? Hoe gaat 't op school? How are things at school? How is school? (secondary school)

Dat gaat niet goed! 2 That's not going well, that's going wrong, there's going to be a problem
Dat kan niet goed gaan 2 That can't [go] end well, there's going to be a problem Dat gaat 'n keer mis 2 3 That [goes] will go wrong sometime

't Gaat van een leien dakje (saying) ['like a slate roof'] - It's going smoothly, an easy job Er gaat altijd zoveel mis! There are always so many things going wrong 't Gaat steeds mis 2 It goes wrong every time, it always fails

Zo gaat 't ook 2 3 4 5 This works too, you can do it this way too

De gong ging 2 3 4 5 The gong [went] sounded - the program will start soon

Ga je mee? Are you [going] coming with us? Wie gaat er mee? 2 3 Who's coming? Who's coming with us? (Either an invitation or a question)

De kost gaat voor de baat uit (saying) 'Cost [goes out] comes before profit' - you have to invest before you can reap a revenue

De Zuiderzee gaat weer tekeer The South Sea (Zuyder Zee) is raging again.

't Ging zo snel 2 3 4 It [went so fast] happened so quickly

Ik wil niks verloren laten gaan 2 [I want nothing to go to waste] - I don't want to waste anything

't Gaat de mist in 2 [It disappears into the fog] - It fails Er gaat er wel eens een de mist in 2 Sometimes one fails (like in a show, some songs or segments are not so good)

Misschien gaat 't gewoon niet Maybe it's just not possible

(het) pensioen retirement pay
met pensioen gaan 2 3 to retire, go into retirement Hij gaat met pensioen 2 3 He is retiring, he'll retire soon Hij is met pensioen 2 He is retired Hij is met pensioen gegaan 2 3 He has retired (Dutch (het) pension means 'boarding house' - False Friends)

vooruit 2 forwards
(de) vooruitgang progress
achteruit 2 backwards
(de) achteruitgang 2 decline, regression
Was er enige vooruitgang? 2 3 Has there been any progress? Hij gaat erg achteruit 2 3 ['He is going backwards badly'] He's quickly getting worse (health, mental state)

Waar is 't gebleven? 2 3 [Where has it remained?] - Where did it go? (An item seems to have disappeared)

'Gaan' in Combinations and Compound Verbs

For instance, 'ondergaan' can have the stress in two different places:

• ondergaan 2 with the stress on the preposition 'onder' means 'to go down, go under,'
• but 'ondergaan' 2 3 with the stress on the base verb 'gaan' means 'to undergo, be subjected to.'

• When the stress is on the base verb ('gaan') the compound verb doesn't split:
  Hij onderging de behandeling geduldig 2 He patiently underwent the treatment Hij onderging de behandeling zonder te klagen He underwent the treatment without complaining
• But when the stress of the word is on the preposition ('onder') this verb splits in the simple tenses:
  De zon gaat onder 2 The sun is going down
  • In 'conditional sub-sentences' (stating a place, time or a condition for the other part of the sentence - 'subordinate clauses') verbs do not split:
    Toen de zon onderging begon de muziek When the sun went down the music started Ze gingen weg toen de zon onderging 2 They left when the sun went down
• More about splitting verbs
• More about conditional sub-sentences
• Also note that in Dutch after a statement of time or place or a condition the active verb comes before the subject - more

(de) ondergang 2 3 4 'downfall, ruin'
zonsondergang 2 'sundown' ->>
(de) neergang 2 3 'downwards trend, decline'
opkomst en neergang 2 'rise and fall'
(de) diepgang 2 profundity, seriousness, 'depth'
(de) afgang 2 embarrassing failure
(de) toegang 2 3 entry, access

verboden toegang ['entry forbidden'] - no admittance, no trespassing, stay out!

(de) ingang 2 entrance
Hier is de ingang The entrance is here (de) zijingang 2 side entrance
Denk eraan dat de zomertijd dit weekend ingaat Keep in mind that the daylight saving time starts this weekend

(de) uitgang 2 exit
Waar is de uitgang? Where is the exit? De uitgang is daar The exit is over there (de) nooduitgang emergency exit

aan de gang 2 3 4 can mean 'going on' or 'get going' - with a slightly different stress aan de gang! can mean 'get going! to work!'

Ik ga er gelijk mee aan de gang I'm immediately starting on it, I'll start on it right away Ik moet met 't eten aan de gang 2 3 ['I have to get going with the food'] I have to start cooking

Hear more Dutch '-gang' words in the 'Change' Thesaurus page

'Gaan over' 2 means 'to be about,' giving the subject of a book, movie, conversation etc.:

Waar gaat 't over? 2 3 What is it about? (What is the subject?)
Het boek gaat over dolfijnen The book is about dolphins

Occasionally, 'Gaan over' can mean 'going, moving over' something like a surface, as in the expression:
Niet over één nacht ijs gaan 2 3 ['Not walking on ice of one night'] - 'to be careful, to proceed with much caution'

But the compound verb overgaan 2 can mean either 'to end, to go away' or 'to move up a grade in school'

Als 't niet vanzelf overgaat, ga ik ermee naar de dokter If it doesn't go away by itself, I'll go see a doctor about it

Hard werken en overgaan! 2 Work hard and pass on to the next grade! Ben je overgegaan? 2 3 Did you pass on to the next grade? blijven zitten 2 ['remain sitting'] having to repeat a grade ->>

(De) overgang means 'transition' and also 'menopause' - and 'crossing' in words like (de) spoorwegovergang 'railroad crossing' already mentioned above

'Gaan om' 2 is also translated as 'to be about' but it means 'what is important.' See also: Disambiguation: Om

't Gaat om 't geld 2 It's about the money
't Gaat niet om 't geld It's not about the money
't Gaat wel om 't geld 2 It really is about the money ‑>>

Waar gaat 't om? 2 What is it about? Dat is niet waar 't om gaat 2 That's not what it is about

But the compound verb omgaan 2 can mean 'to circulate,' "go 'round" and omgaan met 2 can mean 'to handle, deal with' but also something like 'to meet socially, spend time together, associate with'

Er gaat veel geld om 2 There's a lot of money [going 'round] in it Hij kan niet met geld omgaan 2 3 He cannot handle, deal with money Ze gaan veel met elkaar om 2 3 4 They're spending much time together, they're seeing a lot of each other Wie met pek omgaat wordt ermee besmet 2 3 4 (saying) [He who handles, deals with pitch gets contaminated by it] - He who touches pitch shall be defiled - dealing with evil will easily change you for the worse

'Weggaan' means 'to go away, to leave'

Ik ga weg 2 3 I'm going away, I'm leaving
Je gaat weg 2 You are leaving We gaan weg We're leaving Ga je weg? 2 3 4 Are you leaving?
Ik ga om acht uur weg 2 3 I'm leaving at 8 You can also say: Ik ga weg om acht uur I'm leaving at 8
Ik moet om acht uur weg 2 I have to leave at 8 We gaan om zes uur weg We're leaving at 6
Ik ga nooit meer weg 2 I'm never going to leave We waren van plan om weg te gaan We were planning to leave We zijn van plan om morgen weg te gaan We're planning, our plan is to leave tomorrow Je hoeft niet weg te gaan 2 3 You don't have to leave (you can stay for dinner etc.)
En daarom ben ik weggegaan 2 3 And because of that I've left, and that's why I left

'Ga weg!' is like English 'Go away!' In an angry or commanding voice:
Ga weg! 2 means 'Get out! Scram! I don't want you here! - but in a friendly voice it can express incredulity, like
Ga weg! 2 3 ('You're exaggerating, I don't believe you, you must be joking' - 'get outta here.')
- more 'weg'

Ik ga nooit meer terug 2 I'll never go back

Ga je mee? Are you coming with me/us? Ik kom er nooit meer 2 3 4 I never go there anymore - also: I'll never go there again

Ik ga weg uit Nederland 2 3 I'm leaving Holland (and not coming back)

'Vertrekken' is a slightly more formal verb for leaving (↑↑) 'to depart'

vertrekken		to depart
ik vertrek		I depart
wij vertrekken		we depart
ik vertrok		I departed
wij vertrokken		we departed
ik ben vertrokken		I have departed
2

De trein vertrok 2 The train left Hij vertrekt morgen naar Afrika He's leaving for Africa tomorrow Vertrekken van 2 means travel,  vertrekken uit 2 implies 'not coming back, leaving for good'
Ik vertrek om negen uur van Schiphol 2 3 I'm leaving from Schiphol at 9 Ik vertrek uit Nederland 2 3 I'm leaving Holland 't Schip vertrok van Rotterdam 2 3 The ship left from Rotterdam 'Toen wij van Rotterdam vertrokken vertrokken wij van Rotterdam' 2 3 4 When we left Rotterdam we left Rotterdam - travel by ship and hoping to return is implied (het) vertrek 2 'departure' ‑>> - but also a formal word for 'room'

aankomen 2 - to arrive // to gain weight ‑>>
(de) aankomst 2 arrival

'Vergaan' usually means 'to perish,' often 'ships being wrecked, lost' but it can also mean to fall apart, disappear, or 'fade' because of age or exposure

Hier zijn veel schepen vergaan 2 Many ships were wrecked, lost here met man en muis vergaan (saying) [to perish with man and mouse] - said of ships being lost completely, no survivors, nothing recovered Ik dacht dat de wereld verging 2 I thought [that the world was perishing] it was the end of the world Vergane glorie Faded glory
Onkruid vergaat niet (saying) ['Weeds can't be killed'] - the permanence of serious evil and profiteering 't Lachen zal je vergaan 2 3 4 [Your lauching will stop] - you may now think it's funny but you'll be sorry later

But the 'ver' in 'vergaan' can also be 'ver' (with 'short E' and taking the stress) meaning 'far:' 'far-going.' This 'ver gaan' is usually two words.

Gaat 't te ver? 2 Does it go too far? 't Gaat te ver 2 It goes too far Vergaande maatregelen 2 [far-reaching] extensive, drastic measures

'Doorgaan' 2 means 'to go on, to continue, to beat on' - occasionally translated as 'through.'

doorgaand verkeer 2 3 4 through traffic
't Gaat door! It is on! (An event like a sports match or a concert that was uncertain to happen will take place) 't Leven gaat door 2 Life goes on We kunnen niet zo doorgaan 2 3 4 We can't go on like this 't Kan niet zo doorgaan 2 3 4
't Kan zo niet doorgaan 2 It can't go on like this We moeten doorgaan 2 We have to push on We moeten doorgaan tot 't klaar is 2 We'll have to, we need to continue until it's finished 't Gaat te lang door 2 3 4 5 It goes on (for) too long 't Gaat maar door 2 3 It just goes on and on, it never stops (like waves breaking on a beach) Also: ... maar gaat U verder 2 3 ... but please [go further] continue (with what you were saying)

But 'gaan door' means 'to go, pass through:'
Elk pondje gaat door 't mondje 'Every pound [goes] passes through the mouth' - dieting slogan

Het licht ging aan The light came on Toen de bliksem insloeg ging het licht uit 2 When lightning hit the light went out Toen het licht uitging zag ik de sterren 2 When the light went out I saw the stars Doe je het licht uit als je weggaat? {Will you ...?] Please turn off the light(s) when you leave

But 'niet aangaan' 2 3 and 'niets aangaan' 2 can also mean 'none of your business, no concern of yours'
't Gaat me niet aan
't Gaat me niets aan 2 It's none of my business, I shouldn't meddle 't Gaat je niets aan It's none of your business, stay out of it!

Je moet met je tijd meegaan 2 3 slow You should [go along with] adapt to the (changing) times

(de) voorbijganger 2 passer-by
een toevallige voorbijganger 2 a random passer-by Van Oude Mensen en Dingen Die Voorbijgaan 2 'Of Old People and Things That Pass' - a Louis Couperus book title - the correct title is 'Van Oude Mensen, De Dingen Die Voorbijgaan'

'(De) dood' is 'death' and 'dead' - dood/dode 2 - 'Doodgaan' is 'to die.'
De hond van de buren is doodgegaan 2 3 4 The neighbors' dog died

The more formal word is overlijden 2 3 ('to pass away') - a strong verb from the root lijden 2 ('to suffer') - lijden/leed/geleden 2
M'n vader is veertig jaar geleden overleden 2 My Dad passed away 40 years ago

Somewhat jocularly, you could say:
'Ik ga liever gewoon dood' 2 3 4 'I'd rather die in the regular way' - when mock-protesting or trying to refuse something slightly risky, but more commonly commenting on an unpleasant task or given food you really don't like

zonder weerga 'without reprise,' 'without equal,' 'never coming back,'  'something you won't see again' - said about a unique event or effort

Wat is er gaande? 2 What's going on? (a bit old-fashioned)

... dat ik zei 'nou moet ik gaan' 2 ... that I said 'now I [have to go] must leave'

See also: komen 'to come'

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