weggehen

You use weggehen when you are leaving a place. This could be your home, your office, or even a party. The key is that you are moving from one spot to another. It often suggests you're going to do something enjoyable. For example, you weggehen to the cinema. Or you weggehen to a restaurant. You can also use it for less exciting departures. Like leaving a boring meeting. It’s a go-to verb for initiating movement. Just remember the context often implies a bit of fun.

Imagine you're finishing work. You tell your colleague, "Ich gehe jetzt weg." (I'm going away now.) Or you're planning a weekend. You might say, "Lass uns am Samstag weggehen!" (Let's go out on Saturday!). If you need to leave a friend's house, you can say, "Ich muss bald weggehen." (I have to go away soon.). It’s the word you hear when plans are being made. Or when someone announces their departure. It’s very practical for daily life.

Use weggehen when you are physically leaving a location. Especially if you're heading out for leisure. Going to a bar? Weggehen. Meeting friends for coffee? Weggehen. Leaving your apartment for the evening? Definitely weggehen. It’s also fine for more general departures. Like leaving a store after shopping. Or leaving a park. It’s your standard word for 'leaving'. It’s good for most informal and semi-formal situations. Think of it as your default 'off I go!' button.

Don't use weggehen for very formal departures. Like a diplomatic meeting or a solemn ceremony. You wouldn't say you're weggehen from a state dinner. For that, you'd use verlassen (to leave) or abreisen (to depart, for travel). Also, avoid it if you're just moving within a room. Like walking from the sofa to the fridge. That's not weggehen. It’s also not for abstract leaving. Like leaving a job permanently. You'd say den Job verlassen. It’s about physical movement *away* from a place.

Learners sometimes confuse weggehen with gehen (to go). Gehen is much broader. It just means 'to go'. Weggehen specifically means 'to go *away*'. So, saying "Ich gehe" can mean anything. But "Ich gehe weg" means you are leaving. Another mistake is using it for very specific actions. Like einkaufen gehen (to go shopping). You don't say weggehen zum Einkaufen. That sounds odd. Stick to the core meaning of leaving a place.

* Aufbrechen: This means to set off or break away. It often implies the start of a journey. It’s a bit more active than weggehen. Think of explorers aufbrechen into the unknown.

* Verlassen: This means 'to leave' a place or person. It's more neutral and can be used in formal contexts. You verlassen a building or a relationship.

* Fortgehen: Similar to weggehen, but often implies leaving *from* a specific event or gathering. Like leaving a party early.

* Abfahren: This means to depart, usually by vehicle. You abfahren from a train station or a city.

* Weg: This is the adverbial part of the verb. You can say "Ich bin weg" (I'm gone/away). It's very common and informal.

* Weggehen von: This specifies where you are leaving from. "Ich gehe von der Party weg." (I'm going away from the party.)

* Weggehen zu: This specifies where you are going. "Ich gehe zum Supermarkt weg." (I'm going away to the supermarket.) This usage is less common and often sounds a bit clunky; einkaufen gehen is better.