goen + Infinitive
Going to Do Something: Goen + Infinitive
Goen + infinitive means to go and do something: Mir ginn iessen (We are going out to eat), Ech gi schwammen (I am going swimming).
How It Works
How it works
Conjugate goen (ech ginn, du gees, hie geet, mir ginn, dir gitt, si ginn) and put the bare infinitive last:
- Ech ginn den Owend mat Frënn iessen. (I am going out to eat with friends tonight.)
- Samschdes gi mir akafen. (On Saturdays we go shopping.)
- Géi schlofen! (Go to bed!)
Watch the n-rule: ginn becomes gi before most consonants, so Ech gi schwammen but Mir ginn iessen.
Goen or ginn?
The ech, mir, dir and si forms of goen (ginn, gitt) are the same as those of ginn (to give, to become). An infinitive at the end shows that goen is meant.
With a modal verb
Goen itself goes to the very end, after the other infinitive: Ech muss nach akafe goen (I still have to go shopping). The first infinitive loses its n before the g of goen.
In the past
The perfect uses sinn, and the infinitive comes before gaangen: Mir si gëschter schwamme gaangen. In everyday speech people also use war with the infinitive: Gëschter war ech eng Ausstellung kucken.
Talking about the future
For plans, use the present tense with a time word or wäert, not goen.
Examples (6)
- Mir ginn iessen.
We are going out to eat.
Word by Word: We go eat.
Ginn keeps its n before the vowel of iessen.
- Ech gi schwammen.
I am going swimming.
Word by Word: I go swim.
Ginn becomes gi before the s of schwammen because of the n-rule.
- Samschdes gi mir akafen.
On Saturdays we go shopping.
Word by Word: Saturdays go we shop.
Samschdes means on Saturdays. It comes first, so the verb follows it and the infinitive goes to the end.
- Ech ginn den Owend mat Frënn iessen.
I am going out to eat with friends tonight.
Word by Word: I go the evening with friends eat.
The details sit between the verb and the infinitive at the end.
- Géi schlofen, et ass spéit!
Go to bed, it's late!
Word by Word: Go sleep, it is late!
Géi is the du command form of goen.
- Mir si gëschter schwamme gaangen.
We went swimming yesterday.
Word by Word: We are yesterday swim gone.
In the perfect the infinitive comes before gaangen and loses its n before the g.
Common Mistakes
Adding ze before the infinitive.
Ech ginn ze schwammen.Ech gi schwammen.After goen the infinitive is bare, just like after a modal verb. Ze is not used here.
Using goen as a future tense, like English going to.
Et geet muer reenen.Et reent muer.Goen + infinitive only means going somewhere to do something, and rain goes nowhere. For the future, use the present with a time word, or wäert: Et wäert muer reenen.
Keeping the n of ginn before a consonant.
Ech ginn schwammen.Ech gi schwammen.By the n-rule, ginn drops its final n before s. The n stays only before a vowel, before d, h, n, t or z, and before punctuation.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Before Going to Do Something: Goen + Infinitive, learn To Go: Goen and Modal Verb and Infinitive.
Related Patterns
- The Present for the Future
To talk about future plans, use the present with a time word instead of goen.
Level 2 - wäert + InfinitiveFuture and Guesses: Wäert
Wäert with an infinitive expresses the future or a guess, which goen cannot do.
Level 3 - Perfect-Tense Auxiliary: sinnPerfect Tense with Sinn
In the past this pattern uses sinn: Mir si schwamme gaangen.
Level 2 - ginnTo Give and to Become: Ginn
Ginn (to give, to become) shares several forms with goen.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice goen + Infinitive in Bubblegum
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