German Conversation · Level 33
91 words
German word
vergangen
Pronunciation
IPA/fɛɐ̯ˈgaŋən/
Meaning
- adjectivepast
Example
In den vergangenen Jahren haben wir viel gelernt.
Over the past few years, we have learned a lot.
More examples
Ich war in der vergangenen Woche krank.
I was sick during the past week.
Core concept
A completed chapter in a book, separated from the current chapter by the passage of time.
Common phrases
in den vergangenen Jahren
in past years
in der vergangenen Woche
in the past week
in den vergangenen Tagen
over the past few days
Similar words
früher: Describing a time or condition that existed before the present.
letzte: Pointing to the last occurrence or period before the present.
Definition in German
Vergangen bedeutet, dass etwas zeitlich zurückliegt und nicht mehr aktuell ist.
Word origin
The adjective vergangen developed from the participle of vergehen, whose core sense is that time or an event passes away.
Usage tips
- The phrase in vergangenen Jahren uses dative plural after in, so the adjective ends in -en.
Other meanings
- previousadjective
- earlieradjective
Opposites
- zukünftigfutureadjective
- gegenwärtigpresentadjective
Related words
- Vergangenheitpastnoun
- das Vergangenethe pastnoun