All German word comparisons · Back to the topic overview
Meaning, sentence patterns and examples
| Word | Core meaning | Typical context | Grammar |
|---|---|---|---|
| reisen | travel | Travel generally or a journey to a place | Weak: reist, reiste, ist gereist; no separable prefix. Normally intransitive. Common patterns: nach Berlin, in die Schweiz, mit dem Zug; each preposition has its own case. |
| verreisen | go away on a trip | Leaving the usual place; being away | Inseparable ver-. Weak: verreist, verreiste, ist verreist. Normally no direct object; duration and purpose can be added. |
| anreisen | travel to; arrive for a stay | Guests and event participants | Separable an-: reist an, reiste an, ist angereist. Intransitive; aus + dative may name the starting place, mit + dative the transport. |
| abreisen | depart | Starting a journey; ending a stay | Separable ab-: reist ab, reiste ab, ist abgereist. Intransitive; time and destination phrases are common. |
reisen
Meaning and usage: Reisen can describe a particular journey or a general habit. You can say you enjoy travelling without identifying an arrival or departure. A destination or transport phrase adds information without changing the basic verb. In some contexts it can also mean set off.
Grammar: Weak: reist, reiste, ist gereist; no separable prefix. Normally intransitive. Common patterns: nach Berlin, in die Schweiz, mit dem Zug; each preposition has its own case.
Wir reisen im Winter nach Portugal.
We travel to Portugal in winter.
Sie reist meistens mit dem Zug.
She usually travels by train.
verreisen
Meaning and usage: Verreisen makes a trip away from home or a usual location relevant. Sie ist verreist often answers why somebody is not available. It need not be a holiday: business travel also fits. Do not treat it as a replacement for every use of travel.
Grammar: Inseparable ver-. Weak: verreist, verreiste, ist verreist. Normally no direct object; duration and purpose can be added.
Unsere Nachbarin ist für drei Tage verreist.
Our neighbour is away for three days.
anreisen
Meaning and usage: Anreisen views the journey from its destination. Hotels, conferences and hosts use it to ask when guests will arrive or how they will get there. It can cover the journey towards that arrival, not only the instant of arriving.
Grammar: Separable an-: reist an, reiste an, ist angereist. Intransitive; aus + dative may name the starting place, mit + dative the transport.
Die Gäste reisen am Freitag aus Köln an.
The guests travel from Cologne to arrive on Friday.
abreisen
Meaning and usage: Abreisen marks leaving a place. It can be the start of a journey or the end of a visit; it does not inherently mean travel home. A destination may clarify where you go next.
Grammar: Separable ab-: reist ab, reiste ab, ist abgereist. Intransitive; time and destination phrases are common.
Wir reisen am Montag wieder ab.
We leave again on Monday.
Overlap and context
For a conference trip, reisen describes travelling to Hamburg; verreisen highlights being away from your usual place; anreisen describes getting there on Thursday; and abreisen describes leaving on Saturday. Reisen overlaps with the others as the broader activity. Verreisen does not impose a precise minimum trip length, and abreisen does not promise a return journey.
Common mistakes
- The perfect auxiliary is sein in these standard travel uses: Wir sind angereist.
- Do not split ver-: Wir verreisen, not Wir reisen ver.
Memory aid: Reisen tells the activity; ver- highlights being away, an- the destination viewpoint and ab- leaving it. A hotel arrival-and-departure form makes anreisen and abreisen easy to picture.
Try it
Choose: The hotel asks for your arrival day. An welchem Tag ___ Sie ___?
Show the answer
reisen … an
The hotel is interested in your arrival for the stay, so anreisen fits.