to happen
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to happen
To occur or take place; to happen. It describes an event that happens without the active involvement of a specific person.
Der Unfall ist gestern Abend auf der Autobahn geschehen.
The accident happened on the highway yesterday evening.
to happen
Used in elevated or formal language for 'to be done' or 'to be carried out'. Often used in fixed expressions or religious contexts.
Was auch immer geschieht, wir halten zusammen.
Whatever happens, we stick together.
to be done for
An idiomatic expression meaning that someone is lost, doomed, or hopelessly in love.
Als er sie zum ersten Mal sah, war es um ihn geschehen.
When he saw her for the first time, he was done for.
The verb 'geschehen' (to happen) always forms the perfect tense with the auxiliary verb 'sein' (to be). This is because it describes an event or a change of state. Using 'haben' (to have) here is a common mistake.
Was ist denn hier geschehen?
What happened here?
'Geschehen' (to happen) is very often used impersonally with 'es' (it) as the subject, or the event itself is the subject. It describes something that happens, often without an acting person.
Es geschah alles ganz schnell.
It all happened very quickly.
This verb belongs to a rather formal or written style. It is used less often in everyday spoken language.
Die Ereignisse, die damals geschahen, prägen den Ort bis heute.
The events that happened back then still shape the place today.
The idiom 'es ist um jemanden geschehen' has a fixed structure. The person affected is always in the accusative after the preposition 'um'.
Als er ihre Stimme hörte, war es sofort um ihn geschehen.
When he heard her voice, he was immediately done for.
to do
Tun and geschehen can both refer to an action or change, but they differ in perspective. Tun describes someone actively doing something; geschehen describes something happening without highlighting a specific person who is acting. So use tun to emphasize the person acting and geschehen to emphasize the event.
Die Änderung geschah, ohne dass jemand sie geplant hatte.
The change happened without anyone planning it.
Wir müssen etwas tun, damit sich die Situation schnell ändert.
We need to do something so that the situation changes quickly.
