passieren

Passieren is a common German verb with several related meanings. Its core sense is to happen or occur, but it also covers the physical motion of passing through or past something, and, in technical contexts, to allow a substance to pass through a barrier or filter.

In the sense “to happen, to occur,” passieren is intransitive and does not require a direct object. It describes events or incidents. For example: Es passiert oft, dass man zu spät kommt (It often happens that one is late). In this usage the perfect tense is formed with the auxiliary sein: Es ist passiert (It has happened).

In the sense “to pass through” or “to go past,” passieren describes movement across a boundary, border, or obstacle. Typical constructions include subject + pass(st) + object, sometimes with a preposition depending on the context. For example: Wir passieren die Grenze (We are crossing the border). The verb is conjugated like other regular verbs in the present tense: ich passiere, du passierst, er/sie/es passiert, wir passieren, ihr passiert, sie passieren.

In technical or physical contexts, passieren can also mean to allow a substance to go through a barrier, as in a filter. For example: Das Wasser passiert durch den Filter (The water passes through the filter).

Noun form and related usage: das Passieren refers to the act of passing or crossing, for instance the crossing of a border. Related phrases contrast with synonyms such as passieren vs. durchqueren or vorbeigehen, where appropriate, depending on nuance.

Overall, passieren is versatile, spanning everyday events, spatial movement, and filtration-related meanings, with its primary sense firmly rooted in “to happen.”