What does reisen mean in German?

Reisen means "to travel". It describes travel in general rather than a specific journey, which is why the noun die Reise (trip) appears more often in conversation.

How do you conjugate reisen?

The present tense is ich reise, du reist, er/sie/es reist, wir reisen, ihr reist, sie reisen. The du form drops the usual extra e because the stem already ends in s.

Is reisen regular or irregular?

Reisen is a regular weak verb. Its simple past is reiste and its past participle is gereist, both formed with standard endings.

Does reisen take haben or sein?

It takes sein: ich bin viel gereist (I have travelled a lot). Verbs of movement from one place to another use sein as their auxiliary in German.

What is the difference between reisen and fahren?

Fahren names a specific journey by ground transport: ich fahre nach Berlin. Reisen is the broader, more general word and is what you use when talking about travelling as an activity.

German Words for Beginners

Verb

reisen

to travel

Reisen (to travel) is a regular weak verb: ich reise, du reist, er reist, wir reisen, ihr reist, sie reisen. The du form is reist rather than reisest, because the stem already ends in s and German drops the extra vowel. The simple past is reiste, and the past participle is gereist. The perfect takes sein, not haben, because travelling means moving from one place to another: ich bin nach Italien gereist (I travelled to Italy).

In everyday German, reisen is less common than English "travel". Germans usually name the mode of transport instead: ich fahre nach München (I am going to Munich, by ground transport) or ich fliege nach Spanien (I am flying to Spain). Reisen sounds more general and slightly more written, so it fits descriptions of travel as an activity: ich reise gern (I like travelling).

The related noun die Reise (the trip, the journey) is used far more often than the verb. Gute Reise! is what you say to someone setting off, equivalent to "have a good trip". Der Reisepass is a passport, das Reisebüro is a travel agency, and der Reiseführer is a guidebook or a tour guide.

Verreisen means to go away on a trip: sie ist verreist means she is away travelling. Abreisen means to depart, and die Abreise is the departure.

Present tense conjugation of reisen

Regular verb

English

to travel

ichreise

dureist

er/sie/esreist

wirreisen

ihrreist

sie/Siereisen

Perfekt

ich bin gereist

Partizip II

gereist

Auxiliary

sein

Vocabulary lists with reisen

reisen appears in the following vocabulary collections:

Goethe A1 Regular Verbs

Practice reisen in games

Example Sentences

Ich reise oft nach Berlin.
I travel to Berlin often.
The verb is in position 2.
Wir reisen morgen nach Italien.
We travel to Italy tomorrow.
Keep time first, verb second.
Er reist mit seiner Familie.
He travels with his family.
Subject before verb.

Frequently asked questions about reisen

What does reisen mean in German?: Reisen means "to travel". It describes travel in general rather than a specific journey, which is why the noun die Reise (trip) appears more often in conversation.
How do you conjugate reisen?: The present tense is ich reise, du reist, er/sie/es reist, wir reisen, ihr reist, sie reisen. The du form drops the usual extra e because the stem already ends in s.
Is reisen regular or irregular?: Reisen is a regular weak verb. Its simple past is reiste and its past participle is gereist, both formed with standard endings.
Does reisen take haben or sein?: It takes sein: ich bin viel gereist (I have travelled a lot). Verbs of movement from one place to another use sein as their auxiliary in German.
What is the difference between reisen and fahren?: Fahren names a specific journey by ground transport: ich fahre nach Berlin. Reisen is the broader, more general word and is what you use when talking about travelling as an activity.