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sich begeben

set off

Definition & meaning

sich begeben is a formal or somewhat literary German reflexive verb meaning:

  1. to go / proceed / make one’s way to a place
    It often describes deliberately going somewhere, especially in formal instructions or narratives.

    • Er begab sich nach Hause. — “He went home.”
    • Bitte begeben Sie sich zum Ausgang. — “Please proceed to the exit.”

  2. to put oneself in a particular situation or state
    This meaning is often used with abstract situations, especially negative ones.

    • sich in Gefahr begeben — “to put oneself in danger”
    • Sie begab sich in große Schwierigkeiten. — “She got herself into serious difficulties.”

The verb is more formal than everyday gehen and is common in official, written, or elevated language.

Grammar & Word origin

  • Infinitive: sich begeben
  • Verb type: irregular, strong verb
  • Present tense: er begibt sich
  • Simple past: er begab sich
  • Perfect: er hat sich begeben
  • Past participle: begeben

It is a reflexive verb, so the pronoun changes according to the subject:

  • Ich begebe mich dorthin. — “I go there.”
  • Wir begeben uns ins Gebäude. — “We proceed into the building.”

The verb consists historically of the prefix be- and geben , “to give.” In modern German, its meaning cannot be understood literally as “to give oneself”; sich begeben has developed into an independent expression meaning “to go” or “to place oneself.”

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

  • gehen — “to go”; the ordinary, neutral everyday word, whereas sich begeben sounds more formal.
  • sich auf den Weg machen — “to set off”; emphasizes beginning a journey.
  • sich begeben nach — a formal way of saying “to go to,” especially in written language.
  • aufsuchen — “to visit” or “to go to”; emphasizes deliberately going to a person or place, often for a specific purpose.
  • sich versetzen — “to put oneself into a state or situation”; closer to the figurative meaning of sich begeben.

Antonyms

  • bleiben — “to stay”; contrasts with going somewhere.
  • zurückkehren — “to return”; describes coming back rather than proceeding to a new place.
  • vermeiden — “to avoid”; can contrast with sich in eine Gefahr begeben, meaning “to put oneself in danger.”

Common phrases & collocations

  • sich nach Hause begeben — to go home
  • sich an einen Ort begeben — to go to a place
  • sich zum Ausgang begeben — to proceed to the exit
  • sich in Gefahr begeben — to put oneself in danger
  • sich in eine schwierige Lage begeben — to get oneself into a difficult situation
  • sich zur Ruhe begeben — to retire or go to bed; a formal or old-fashioned expression

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Examples

Die Touristen begaben sich sofort auf den Weg.other

The tourists immediately set off.

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