gingen

Gingen is a German verb form, specifically the simple past tense (preterite) of gehen, the verb meaning to go. It is used with plural subjects, such as wir (we), sie (they), and Sie (you formal plural). It is not the past participle; the past participle of gehen is gegangen. The corresponding singular past tense forms are ich ging, du gingst, er/sie/es ging, and the second-person plural uses ihr gingt.

The pronunciation of gingen in standard German is [ˈɡɪŋən]. The form derives from the historical development of gehen in the Germanic languages and reflects an older pattern of past-tense marking that is no longer productive for other verbs in contemporary speech.

In usage, gingen commonly appears in narrative or reported speech to describe actions completed in the past. For example: Wir gingen durch den Park, als es zu regnen begann. Sie gingen nach Hause, nachdem der Film beendet war. In questions, the past plural form is shown as Gingen wir...? in contexts such as asking whether a group should have done something in the past or in reported contrasts.

Gingen is one of several irregular verb forms that remain in everyday German, illustrating how past tense for certain verbs marks plural subjects. Learners should note the distinction between gingen (past plural) and ging (past singular), as well as the related present and past participle forms.