to get lost
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to get lost
To lose the way and no longer know where you are or how to get to your destination.
Wir haben uns im Wald verirrt und mussten die Nacht im Freien verbringen.
We got lost in the forest and had to spend the night outdoors.
to stray
Used figuratively for ending up in a place or situation by chance or unintentionally.
Nur selten verirrt sich ein Tourist in dieses abgelegene Dorf.
Only rarely does a tourist stray into this remote village.
The verb is made up of the prefix 'ver-' and the stem 'irren' (to wander around; to be mistaken). 'Irren' means to wander around or to be mistaken. The prefix 'ver-' here indicates that the action leads to a negative result—you lose your way.
Ohne Karte kann man sich in den kleinen Gassen leicht verirren.
Without a map, you can easily get lost in the small alleyways.
This verb is always used with a reflexive pronoun: 'sich verirren' (to get lost). It is a common mistake to forget the pronoun ('mich', 'dich', 'sich', etc.).
Ich habe mich auf dem Rückweg vom Gipfel verirrt.
I got lost on the way back from the summit.
The perfect tense for the action of getting lost is formed with 'haben'. To describe the state of being lost, use 'sein' + past participle as an adjective.
Die Wanderer haben sich im Nebel verirrt.
The hikers got lost in the fog.
In its literal meaning, 'sich verirren' (to get lost) is often combined with places where it is easy to lose your orientation, for example 'im Wald' (in the forest), 'in den Bergen' (in the mountains), or 'in einer fremden Stadt' (in an unfamiliar city).
Als Kind habe ich mich einmal in einem großen Kaufhaus verirrt.
As a child, I once got lost in a large department store.
