German Conversation · Level 52
74 words
German word
geschehen
Pronunciation
IPA/gəˈʃeːən/
Meaning
- verbhappen
Example
Gestern geschah ein Unfall.
An accident happened yesterday.
More examples
So etwas geschieht öfter, als man denkt.
That sort of thing happens more often than you think.
Core concept
A happening moves forward by itself, with no deliberate human action behind it.
Common phrases
so etwas geschieht
That sort of thing happens
ist geschehen
has occurred
Similar words
passieren: To happen by chance, especially in everyday spoken language.
stattfinden: To take place as a planned event, meeting, or activity.
sich ereignen: To occur in formal or written descriptions of accidents and events.
Definition in German
geschehen – ohne menschliche Absicht eintreten; ein Ereignis findet statt oder vollzieht sich; oft unpersönlich gebraucht
Word origin
The German verb developed from older forms such as Old High German giscëhan and Middle High German geschehen, whose basic sense was to come about.
Usage tips
- Geschehen commonly appears in impersonal patterns such as Es geschah ein Unfall and Mir geschah etwas.