geschehen

See also: Geschehen

German

Etymology

From Middle High German geschehen, geschēn, geschegen, from Old High German giskehan, scehan, from Proto-Germanic *skehaną (“to spring, come up, emerge, happen”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡəˈʃeːən/, /ɡəˈʃeːn/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eːən

Verb

1. (intransitive) to occur; to happen

   Wie konnte das nur geschehen?

   How could that have happened?

   Dein Wille geschehe, wie im Himmel so auf Erden.

   Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. (Lord's Prayer)

2. (with dative or with "mit ...", impersonal) to happen (to someone); to serve (someone)

   Es geschieht ihm recht. ― It serves him right.

Usage notes

• Only third-person forms of this verb are common. First and second-person forms are very rare, though not impossible. For example, one could say in poetic speech: O Unglück! Wenn du geschiehst, dann geschieh bald! (“O misfortune! If thou happenest, then happen soon!”)
• In most regions, geschehen is rather formal, with passieren being the more normal word for “to happen”.

Synonyms

• (happen): passieren

Derived terms

• gern geschehen
• ungeschehen

Related terms

• Geschichte

Further reading

• “geschehen” in Duden online