How to Conjugate the German Word Fahren

Learn the Right Words to Discuss Traveling in German.

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One useful verb for any wanderer to learn is to travel. In German, the word fahren means to travel or to go. Learning to properly conjugate this word will help you tell your new friends all about your journey. If you're lost and looking for directions, you'll be thankful you know how to say "we're traveling to  Berlin" when asking for help. In some cases fahren is also used to mean drive or have driven, this will usually be apparent from the context of the sentence.

Stem-Changing Verbs

German, like many other languages, has what is known as stem-changing verbs. This means that the stem or ending of the word is what changes based on who the action is referring to. These endings will remain consistent throughout the language for regular stem-changing verbs. Unlike in English, where I take and we take uses the same form of the verb in German the stems of the verb would change. This can make learning the language easier because you only need to remember the roots of most verbs. Unfortunately, nehmen is also an irregular verb. This means there are times when it does not follow the normal rules of stem-changing verbs.

Learn How Fahren is Conjugated in All Tenses

The following charts will show you how the German verb fahrenis conjugated in all its tenses and moods.

Fahren Present Tense - Präsens

Singular

Deutsch

English
ich fahre

I travel/am traveling

du fährst

you travel/are traveling

er

sie fährt

es

he
she travels
it
Plural
wir fahren

we travel/are traveling

ihr fahrt

you (guys) travel/are traveling

sie fahren

they travel/are traveling

Sie fahren

you travel/are traveling

Examples:

Fahren Sie heute nach Hamburg?
Are you going/traveling to Hamburg today?
Er fährt mit dem Zug.
He's taking the train.

Possible meanings of fahren: to travel, go, drive, ride, sail, take, move, transport

Fahren Simple Past Tense -Imperfekt

Singular

Deutsch English
ich fuhr

I traveled

du fuhrst

you (fam.) traveled

er fuhr

sie fuhr

es fuhr

he traveled
she traveled
it traveled
Plural
wir fuhren

we traveled

ihr fuhrt

you (guys) traveled

sie fuhren

they traveled

Sie fuhren

you traveled

Fahren Compound Past Tense (Pres. Perfect) Perfekt

Deutsch English
Singular
ich bin gefahren I traveled/have traveled
du bist gefahren you (fam.) traveled
have traveled
er ist gefahren
sie ist gefahren
es ist gefahren
he traveled/has traveled
she traveled/has traveled
it traveled/has traveled
Plural
wir sind gefahren

we traveled/have traveled

ihr seid gefahren you (guys) traveled
have traveled
sie sind gefahren

they traveled/have traveled

Sie sind gefahren

you traveled/have traveled

See more verbs in our 20 Most-Used German Verbs.

Fahren Past Perfect Tense Plusquamperfekt

Deutsch English
Singular
ich war gefahren

I had traveled

du warst gefahren

you (fam.) had traveled

er war gefahren
sie war gefahren
es war gefahren

he had traveled
she had traveled
it had traveled
Plural
wir waren gefahren

we had traveled

ihr wart gefahren

you (guys) had traveled

sie waren gefahren

they had traveled

Sie waren gefahren

you had traveled

See more verbs in our 20 Most-Used German Verbs.

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Your Citation
Flippo, Hyde. "How to Conjugate the German Word Fahren." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/fahren-to-travel-drive-go-present-tense-4081409. Flippo, Hyde. (2023, April 5). How to Conjugate the German Word Fahren. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/fahren-to-travel-drive-go-present-tense-4081409 Flippo, Hyde. "How to Conjugate the German Word Fahren." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/fahren-to-travel-drive-go-present-tense-4081409 (accessed March 28, 2024).