gaan

See also: gån, gå an, and gåån

Afrikaans

Alternative forms

• gaat (Cape Afrikaans)
• gat (Cape Afrikaans)

Etymology

From Dutch gaan, from Middle Dutch gâen, from Old Dutch gān, from a fusion of Proto-Germanic *gāną and *ganganą, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰeh₁-, *ǵʰengʰ-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈχɑːn/

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

gaan (present gaan, present participle gaande, past participle gegaan)

1. to go
2. Used to express the future tense, often while implying nearness in time or certainty, like English going to.

Derived terms

• aangaan (“concern (with)”)
• afgaan (“descend”)
• agteruitgaan (“deteriorate”)
• begaan (“not to concern”)
• deurgaan (“go through”)
• heengaan (“pass away”)
• ingaan (“enter”)
• losgaan (“come loose”)
• meegaan (“accompany”)
• nagaan (“review”)
• ondergaan (“subjected to”)
• ontgaan (“slip (one's mind)”)
• oopgaan (“open”)
• oorgaan (“review”)
• opgaan (“ascend”)
• rondgaan (“go around”)
• saamgaan (“accompany”)
• teëgaan
• teengaan (“resist”)
• toegaan (“close”)
• uitgaan (“exit, leave”)
• verbygaan (“pass”)
• voorgaan (“lead”)
• voortgaan (“continue”)
• vooruitgaan (“go ahead”)
• weggaan (“leave”)

Aukan

Etymology

From English grand.

Adjective

gaan

1. big, large

Derived terms

• gaanse (“majority (of something, some group, etc)”, literally “big side”)

See also

• Gaaman (Gaanman)

References

• Aukan-English Dictionary (SIL), citing Vernon (1985)

Cebuano

Etymology

From Proto-Philippine *ʀaqan, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *ʀaqan.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡaˈʔan/ [ɡɐˈʔan̪]
• Hyphenation: ga‧an

Adjective

gaán (Badlit spelling ᜄᜀᜈ᜔)

1. light (not heavy)

   Antonym: bug-at

2. easy

Derived terms

• gaan ang dugo
• gaan ang lawas
• gaan og buot
• gaan og kamot
• gaan og sulti
• gaan og ulo
• kagaan

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch gâen, from Old Dutch gān, from a fusion of Proto-West Germanic *gān and *gangan, from Proto-Germanic *gāną and *ganganą, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰeh₁-, *ǵʰengʰ-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɣaːn/

• Audio (Belgium):

  (file)

• Audio (Netherlands):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: gaan
• Rhymes: -aːn

Verb

gaan

1. (intransitive) to go, to move from one place to another

   Ik ga naar het strand. ― I'm going to the beach.

   Die auto gaat nergens naartoe. ― That car isn't going anywhere.

2. (intransitive) to leave or depart, to move away

   Morgen gaan ze weer. ― They're leaving again tomorrow.

3. (intransitive) to lead (in a direction)

   Deze weg gaat helemaal naar Limburg. ― This road goes all the way to Limburg.

4. (intransitive) to proceed (well or poorly)

   Dat ging goed. ― That went well.

   Hoe gaat het? ― How is it going?

   Dat gaat niet. ― That won't work.

5. (auxiliary) Forms the future tense of a verb, similarly to English going to future tense

   Het gaat toch niet werken. ― It is not going to work anyway.

6. (auxiliary) to start to, begin to, to be going to

   De zon gaat weer schijnen. ― The sun is starting to shine again.

   Ik ga slapen. ― I'm going to sleep.

   Het gaat zo regenen. ― It's going to start raining soon.

7. (informal, copulative) to experience, to take, to feel some way about something [with op]

   Ik ga heel slecht op dit soort onzin. ― I take this kind of nonsense very poorly.

   Hij gaat altijd wel goed op dit album. ― He always has quite a good time with this album. (literally, “He always goes quite well on this album.”)

Usage notes

• Gaan is technically used in the Netherlands as an auxiliary verb for the future tense only if the subject moves to do something, if there is a new action or if someone plans to do something. However, informally, gaan is often used for the senses where zullen should be used instead. This is not generally accepted. The same goes for the past tense, where gingen is increasingly used when it is not necessary.
• In questions, the past tense ging(en) in the sense of “to go” can be used to indicate the present. In Dutch, one can ask “Ging je nog naar die verjaardag vanavond?” which means “Are you still going to that birthday party tonight?”. The question implies there was a plan to go to the said party, and asks for confirmation that the plan is still on. This exceptional use of the past tense with a present meaning is also seen for the verb moeten.

Conjugation

Conjugation of gaan (strong class 7, irregular)
infinitive	gaan
past singular	ging
past participle	gegaan
infinitive	gaan
gerund	gaan n
	present tense	past tense
1st person singular	ga	ging
2nd person sing. (jij)	gaat, ga2	ging
2nd person sing. (u)	gaat	ging
2nd person sing. (gij)	gaat	gingt
3rd person singular	gaat	ging
plural	gaan	gingen
subjunctive sing.1	ga	ginge
subjunctive plur.1	gaan	gingen
imperative sing.	ga
imperative plur.1	gaat
participles	gaand	gegaan
1) Archaic. 2) In case of inversion.

Derived terms

• aangaan
• achteraangaan
• achterafgaan
• achtergaan
• achternagaan
• achteromgaan
• achteropgaan
• achterovergaan
• achteruitgaan
• afgaan
• alleengaand
• bad gaan
• begaan
• bijeengaan
• bijgaan
• binnengaan
• blootgaan
• bovengaan
• buiten zijn boekje gaan
• buitengaan
• dichtgaan
• diepgaan
• doodgaan
• dooreengaan
• doorgaan
• erin gaan
• gaan met die banaan
• gaan over
• gaande
• gegaan
• gelijkgaan
• heengaan
• het bloed kruipt waar het niet gaan kan
• ineengaan
• ingaan
• kapotgaan
• kromgaan
• langsgaan
• leeggaan
• losgaan
• medegaan
• meegaan
• misgaan
• nagaan
• nedergaan
• neergaan
• omgaan
• omhooggaan
• omlaaggaan
• omvergaan
• onderdoorgaan
• ondereengaan
• ondergaan
• onderuitgaan
• ontgaan
• opeengaan
• opengaan
• opgaan
• opzijgaan
• over een nacht ijs gaan
• over zijn nek gaan
• overgaan
• platgaan
• rondgaan
• samengaan
• schoongaan
• stukgaan
• tegengaan
• teloorgaan
• teruggaan
• toegaan
• uiteengaan
• uitgaan
• van de grond gaan
• vastgaan
• verdergaan
• vergaan
• vooraangaan
• voorafgaan
• voorbijgaan
• voorgaan
• vooropgaan
• voorovergaan
• voortgaan
• voortsgaan
• vooruitgaan
• vreemdgaan
• vrijgaan
• wedergaan
• wederomgaan
• wederopgaan
• weergaan
• weeromgaan
• weggaan
• zijn gang gaan
• zijns weegs gaan

Related terms

• gang

Descendants

• Afrikaans: gaan
• Javindo: ha, haat
• Jersey Dutch: xân, xâne
• Petjo: gaan, haan

Anagrams

• ga na, naga

Dyula

Alternative forms

• gwaan
• gwan

Noun

gaan

1. okra, Hibiscus esculentus

See also

• gwanforo
• gwannan

Navajo

Etymology

From Proto-Athabaskan *-ɢa̓·ŋ-əʔ.

Cognates:

• Apachean: Western Apache -gan, Chiricahua -gan, Jicarilla -gan, Lipan -gąą’, Plains Apache -gąą
• Others: Tsuut’ina -gànὰ’, Hupa -ɢan-, Mattole, -gaane’, Galice gaaneʔ, Chilcotin -gán, Slavey -gǫ́’, Hare -góné’, Dogrib -gǫ̀, Dene Sųłiné -gané, Sekani -gòne’, Dunneza -góné’, Central Tanana -gonaʔ, Hän -gæ̀nn’, Ahtna -ɢaane’, Dena'ina -ɢuna, Eyak -ɢəla’, Tlingit jín ("hand")

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɑ̀ːn/

Noun

-gaan (inalienable, e.g., shigaan "my arm", bigaan "her/his/its/their arm"), compound form: gąą-, gą-, gan-

1. arm, foreleg, limb, branch, front wheel

Inflection

Possessives of gaan

	singular	duoplural	plural
1st person	shigaan	nihigaan	danihigaan
2nd person	nigaan	nihigaan	danihigaan
3rd person	bigaan
4th person (3o)	yigaan
4th person (3a)	hagaan
Indefinite (3i)	agaan

Derived terms

• chidí bigaan (“front wheel of car”)
• -gąą agodí (“cut-off arm”) (compare -gąąʼagod)
• -gąą doo ahą́ą́h ndeełí (“stiff/paralyzed arm”) (compare -gaan kʼézʼáí)
• -gąąbąstʼáán (“arm on fletching”)
• -gąądikééʼ (“human arm prints, quadruped foreleg prints”)
• -gąądoh (“arm muscle”)
• -gąąghah (“area of scapula, back of arm”) (also -ganighah, compare gąnaghah, -gąną́ghah)
• -gąąghahashjééʼ (“shoulder bands”)
• -gąąghahaztʼiʼ (“shoulder band”)
• -gąąkʼis (“arm/foreleg missing, one-armed”)
• -gąąlóóʼ (“forearm, lower arm, ulna”) (also -gaanlóóʼ)
• -gaan ahánáwoʼó gónaa (“knuckle/wrist/elbow/shoulder joint”)
• -gaan bitaʼ sitání (“humerus, upper arm bone”) (compare -gąąstsʼin bitaʼ sitání)
• -gaan kʼézʼáí (“paralyzed/stiff arm”) (compare -gąą doo ahą́ą́h ndeełí)
• gaanee (“by hand, manual, armway”)
  • gaanee naanish (“manual labor, hand labor, unskilled labor”)
• -gaanlóóʼ (“forearm, lower arm, ulna”) (also -gąąlóóʼ)
• -gą́ą́stsiin (“scapula, shoulder blade”) (also -gąąstsiin)
• -gąąstsiin (“scapula, shoulder blade”) (also -gą́ą́stsiin, compare -gąątsʼin, -gąątsʼiin)
  • -gąąstsiin ałchʼįʼ nahííláhí (“spinal area between scapula”)
  • -gąąstsiin ałchʼįʼ nihiníláagi (“between shoulder blades, horse withers”)
• -gąąstsiin (“shoulder blade, arm bone”) (compare gąątsʼin, -gąąstsiin, -gą́ą́stsiin)
• -gąątsʼin (“arm/foreleg bone”) (compare gąąstsiin, -gą́ą́stsiin, -gąąstsʼiin)
  • -gąąstsʼin bitaʼ sitání (“humerus, upper arm bone”) (compare -gaan bitaʼ sitání)
• -gąąyaaí (“forearm”)
• -gąązis (“sleeve”) (also -gąąziz)
• -gąąziz (“sleeve”) (also -gąązis)
• -gąązhnézhí (“arm fringes”)
• -gąąʼagod (“amputated arm stump”) (compare -gąą agodí)
• -gąnaghah (“around back of arm over shoulder”) (also -gąną́ghah, compare -gąąghah, -ganighah)
• -gąnághah (“around back of arm over shoulder”) (also -gąnąghah, compare -gąąghah, -ganighah)
• -ganighah (“area of scapula, back of arm”) (also -gąąghah, compare -gąnaghah, -gąną́ghah)
• -késhgaan (“toenail, quadruped hind-claws”)
• -láshgaan (“fingernail, bird claw, quadruped fore-claws”)
• ńdíshchííʼ bigaan (“pine branch”)
• tsin bigaan (“tree limb”)

Scots

Etymology

From Old English gān (“to go”). An alternative (and arguably more phonetically neutral; see the pronunciations given) spelling of gan or gaun.

Pronunciation

• Phonetic transcriptions: IPA^(key): [ɡɑːn], [ɡɒːn]
• Phonemic transcription: IPA^(key): /ɡan/

The latter is the more traditional form.

In some compounds it frequently becomes IPA^(key): /ɡən/, e.g. gaan oot IPA^(key): /ɡən ut/, gaan in IPA^(key): /ɡən ɪn/.

Verb

gaan (third-person singular simple present gaans, present participle gaan, simple past went or wett, past participle been)

1. (Southern Scots) to go

   Where div ee hink ee'r gaan at this time o night?

   Where do you think you're going at this time of night?

Tagalog

Etymology

From Proto-Philippine *ʀaqan, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *ʀaqan. Compare Bikol Central gian.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ɡaˈʔan/ [ɡɐˈʔan̪]
  • Rhymes: -an
• (dialectal, Batangas, Quezon) IPA^(key): /ˈɡaʔan/ [ˈɡaː.ʔɐn̪]
  • Rhymes: -aʔan
• Syllabification: ga‧an

Noun

gaán (Baybayin spelling ᜄᜀᜈ᜔)

1. lightness (lack of weight)

   Antonym: bigat

2. facility; ease of doing; easiness

   Synonym: alwan

3. lightness (of sleep)

   Synonym: babaw

4. ease (of life)

   Synonym: ginhawa

Derived terms

• gaan ng buhay
• gaan ng dugo
• gaanan
• gumaan
• kagaanan
• magaan
• magaan ang bibig
• magaan sa bulsa
• magaanan
• magpagaan
• makagaan
• nakagagaan
• pagaanin

Further reading

• “gaan”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018
• Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*Raqan”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI

Anagrams

• anga, gana, naga

Tausug

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Philippine *ʀaqan, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *ʀaqan.

Pronunciation

• (Sinūgan Parianun) IPA^(key): /ɡaʔan/ [ɡɑˈʔɑn̪]
• Rhymes: -an
• Syllabification: ga‧an

Noun

gaan (Sulat Sūg spelling ݢَأَنْ)

1. lightness (of weight, work, material, etc.)

   Antonym: buggat

Derived terms

• gaana
• gaanan
• giyaan
• gumaan
• magaan
• piyagaan