angegangen

Angegangen is the past participle form of the German verb angehen. The prefix an- with gehen yields several related meanings, and angegangen appears in different tenses and constructions depending on the sense. In contemporary German, the participle is most commonly seen in perfect tenses and in constructions describing a change of state.

One core meaning is to address or tackle something: it is used with a direct object to indicate that a problem or task has been confronted. Example: Wir haben das Problem angegangen, um eine Lösung zu finden. Another sense is to begin to occur or to come on, especially with lights, devices, or engines. In this sense, angegangen expresses that something has started to function. Example: Die Lichter sind angegangen.

Grammatical note: angegangen forms compound tenses with the auxiliary haben for most transitive uses (Wir haben das Projekt angegangen). Intransitive use referring to a change of state can take sein (Die Lichter sind angegangen). The form is not a noun, but a participle used within verb phrases.

Etymology: angegangen derives from gehen (to go) with the prefix an-, which signals onset or direction toward something. The sense extensions include both literal beginnings and metaphorical acts like addressing a matter.

See also: angehen; gehen; German prefix verbs and their participles.