to drive
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to drive
To steer and operate a car as the driver. In German, this activity is often expressed as the verb 'Auto fahren' or written as one word, 'autofahren'.
Am Wochenende fahre ich gerne ohne bestimmtes Ziel Auto.
On weekends, I like driving around without a specific destination.
This activity is formed from 'Auto' (car) and 'fahren' (to drive / to travel). In a sentence, 'Auto' is often treated like a separable prefix and stands at the end of the clause.
Ich fahre am liebsten nachts Auto, wenn die Straßen leer sind.
I prefer driving at night, when the roads are empty.
Since 'fahren' (to drive / to travel) describes movement from one place to another, the perfect tense is always formed with the auxiliary verb 'sein' (to be), not with 'haben' (to have).
Wir sind letztes Jahr mit dem Auto nach Italien gefahren.
We drove to Italy by car last year.
The recommended spelling for the activity is separated: 'Auto fahren' (to drive a car). However, the one-word form 'autofahren' is also very common and often used.
Darf man nach der Operation sofort wieder Auto fahren?
Are you allowed to drive again immediately after the operation?
to drive / ride
Fahren can refer to driving different types of vehicles; the vehicle in question is often clear from the context or an added phrase. Autofahren explicitly specifies a car. Fahren works well for a specific vehicle, while autofahren is suitable for the general activity of driving.
Im Urlaub möchte Lea jeden Tag autofahren.
While on vacation, Lea wants to drive every day.
Im Urlaub fährt Lea den gemieteten Wagen.
While on vacation, Lea drives the rental car.
