gereist

Gereist is the past participle of the German verb reisen, which means to travel. In standard German, gereist is used to form the perfect and pluperfect tenses for verbs of motion, and it can also function as an adjective in certain constructions. As a participle, it denotes that travel has taken place rather than ongoing action.

In the typical perfect tense, gereist accompanies the auxiliary sein: Ich bin gereist, Ich bin nach Berlin gereist, Wir sind durch Europa gereist. For the pluperfect, the corresponding form is Ich war gereist or Wir waren gereist, depending on the subject. The participle can also appear in passive-like or subordinate clauses, for example: Nachdem ich gereist war, traf ich die Familie. Some speakers also say Ich habe viel gereist in conversational contexts, though the standard pairing with sein is widely accepted.

As an adjective, gereist can form compounds such as vielgereist, meaning well-traveled. This adjective is commonly used with nouns like Mann or Journalistin: ein vielgereister Mann, eine vielgereiste Journalistin. The form agrees with the gender, singular or plural, of the noun it modifies. The use of gereist as a standalone attributive adjective is less frequent than the common compound forms, but it remains understandable in contexts describing someone’s travel experience.

Gereist is not a standalone noun in standard German and is rarely used in noun-like positions; it primarily serves as a past participle or as part of adjective compounds. See also reisen, Reise, and German participles.