German · Everyday Verbs
"to travel" in German: reisen
reisen
To travel in German is reisen. Say Ich reise gern or Reist du allein?. Use verb forms like reise and reist — not only the noun die Reise.
Holiday plans
Ich reise im Herbst nach Portugal.Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
How to pronounce reisen
Say it
RY-zen
/ˈʁaɪ̯zn̩/
RY-zen. Soft ei as eye. Soft -en.
"to travel" in German: quick reference
| German | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| reisen | to travel Core verb. | Core verb. |
| ich reise / du reist / er reist | I/you/he travel(s) Present forms. | Present forms. |
| gereist | traveled Past participle with sein. | Past participle with sein. |
| verreisen | to go away on a trip Leaving home to travel. | Leaving home to travel. |
How to use reisen in real life
- 1Holiday plans
Ich reise im Herbst nach Portugal.
I'm traveling to Portugal in the fall.
Ich reise.
- 2Asking a friend
Reist du dieses Jahr überhaupt?
Are you traveling at all this year?
Reist du.
- 3Work talk
Sie reist beruflich jede zweite Woche.
She travels for work every other week.
Sie reist.
Mistakes English speakers make with reisen
Incorrect: Ich mache eine Reise. (only, when teaching reisen)
Correct: Ich reise nach Spanien.
For this verb headword use reisen conjugations, not only the noun Reise.
Incorrect: Ich habe viel gereist.
Correct: Ich bin viel gereist.
Reisen of motion uses sein.
Good to know
Germans love planning: reisen often comes with Bahncard, Sitzplatzreservierung, and carefully timed connections. Urlaub means the holiday time; reisen is the traveling itself.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Comparing summer plans
ChatPal
Reist du diesen Sommer weit weg?
Are you traveling far away this summer?
You
Ja. Ich reise mit dem Zug durch Italien.
Yes. I'm traveling through Italy by train.
ChatPal
Schön. Ich reise eher kurz, aber oft.
Nice. I travel shorter trips, but often.
You
Dann reist du flexibler als ich.
Then you travel more flexibly than I do.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"to travel" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "to travel" in German
How do you conjugate reisen?
Ich reise, du reist, er/sie reist, wir reisen, ihr reist, sie reisen.
Past participle?
Gereist with sein: Ich bin gereist.
Reise the noun?
Die Reise means the trip; for this entry use the verb reisen.
Travel for work?
Beruflich reisen.
Learn a word, then use it out loud
- Step 1: See it in context
- Step 2: Say it out loud
- Step 3: Get feedback
- Step 4: Use it in real scenarios
