Vorwärtsgehen

Vorwärtsgehen is a German verb that means to move forward or to advance. It can describe literal movement, such as a person or object proceeding in a forward direction, and it can also refer to progress in plans, projects, or discussions. The term combines vorwärts, meaning forward, with gehen, to go, and is typically used in neutral, everyday language.

As a separable prefix verb, the prefix vorwärts detaches in finite present forms: er geht vorwärts, wir gehen vorwärts. In other tenses and with auxiliary verbs, the prefix attaches or the verb appears in its infinitive form: er ist vorwärtsgegangen; er wird vorwärtsgehen. The past participle is vorwärtsgegangen. The noun form das Vorwärtsgehen, meaning forward movement or progress, exists but is relatively uncommon.

Usage and nuance: vorwärtsgehen is a versatile and neutral expression suitable for both physical movement and figurative progression. It is closely related to vorankommen (to advance or make progress), weitergehen (to continue walking or to go on), and vorantreiben (to push forward, to drive ahead). While vorwärtsgehen emphasizes the act of moving forward, vorankommen emphasizes achieving progress, and weitergehen often stresses continuation.

Examples: Der Wanderer ging vorsichtig vorwärts. Der Projektstatus bewegt sich langsam vorwärts. Das Unternehmen hofft, wirtschaftlich vorwärtszugehen.

See also: vorwärts, vorankommen, weitergehen, Fortschritt, Fortschreiten, vorantreiben.