01
fahren
to ride / go
To move by means of a vehicle such as a car, bus, train, or bicycle.
example
Ich fahre jeden Morgen mit dem Bus zur Arbeit.
I take the bus to work every morning.
fahren
to drive / ride
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Perfect tense with 'sein'
As a verb of movement from one place to another, 'fahren' forms the perfect tense with the auxiliary verb 'sein'. This is a common source of mistakes for learners.
EXAMPLE
Wir sind letztes Jahr nach Italien gefahren.
We went to Italy last year.
Perfect tense with 'haben'
The perfect tense is formed with 'haben' when 'fahren' describes driving a vehicle without a change of location, or when the activity itself is the focus. 'Haben' is also used when transporting someone.
EXAMPLE
Er hat seinen Sohn zur Schule gefahren.
He drove his son to school.
Word family
The word family of 'fahren' includes important nouns like 'die Fahrt' (the trip), 'der Fahrer' (the person driving), and 'das Fahrzeug' (the means of transport/vehicle).
EXAMPLE
Die Fahrt von Hamburg nach München dauert mit dem Zug etwa sechs Stunden.
The trip from Hamburg to Munich takes about six hours by train.
Important prepositions
The vehicle is indicated with 'mit' (+ dative). The destination is often indicated with 'nach' (cities, countries without an article), 'in' (+ accusative, countries with an article, buildings), or 'zu' (+ dative, people, places).
EXAMPLE
Fährst du mit dem Auto oder mit dem Zug?
Are you going by car or by train?
Driver or passenger?
The sentence 'Ich fahre Auto' means that you are sitting behind the wheel yourself. 'Ich fahre mit dem Auto' can mean that you are driving yourself or simply riding as a passenger.
EXAMPLE
Ich kann nicht telefonieren, ich fahre gerade Auto.
I can't talk on the phone; I'm driving right now.
Typical travel destinations
In the meaning 'to travel', 'fahren' is often combined with typical vacation destinations, such as 'in den Urlaub fahren' (to go on vacation), 'ans Meer fahren' (to go to the seaside), or 'in die Berge fahren' (to go to the mountains).
EXAMPLE
Fahren wir dieses Wochenende an einen See?
Shall we go to a lake this weekend?
Context: Public transportation
In this meaning, the subject of the sentence is the means of transportation itself, not a person. It describes the regular schedule.
EXAMPLE
Der letzte Bus fährt um 23:30 Uhr.
The last bus runs at 11:30 p.m.
Fixed expression
The idiom 'jemandem in die Glieder fahren' means that someone gets a sudden fright. The person who is frightened is in the dative.
EXAMPLE
Der plötzliche Schrei fuhr mir durch Mark und Bein.
The sudden scream chilled me to the bone.
Compare with
fahren vs gehen
to go
'gehen' and 'fahren' can both mean that you move to another place. The difference usually lies in the means of transport. 'gehen' is used when you are going on foot or, more generally, leaving a place. 'fahren' is used when a vehicle is involved, for example a car, bus, train, or bicycle. Learners often confuse the words because some languages use a word like 'go' for travel in general. In German, however, you say: 'zu Fuß gehen' (to go on foot / to walk), but 'mit dem Bus' or 'mit dem Auto fahren' (to go by bus or car).
fahren
Die Klasse fährt morgen mit dem Bus ins Museum.
The class is taking the bus to the museum tomorrow.
gehen
Nach dem Essen gehen wir zu Fuß durch den Park.
After the meal, we walk through the park.
In real life
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