fremdgehen

German

Etymology

From fremd + gehen, thus “to go strange”, that is “to go with an outsider”.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈfʁɛmtˌɡeːən/
  • (file)
  • Hyphenation: fremd‧ge‧hen

Verb

fremdgehen (class 7 strong, third-person singular present geht fremd, past tense ging fremd, past participle fremdgegangen, auxiliary sein)

  1. (now only slightly informal) to cheat; to be unfaithful (have sexual or romantic relations with another than one's stable partner, typically in secret)
    Ich bin meiner Frau nie fremdgegangen.
    I’ve never cheated on my wife.
  2. (figurative, colloquial, chiefly humorous) to be unfaithful; to prefer someone or something else
    Ein echter Fan geht seinem Verein nicht fremd.
    A real supporter won’t cheat on his club.

Conjugation

Derived terms

  • Fremdgänger

Descendants

  • Dutch: vreemdgaan

Further reading

  • fremdgehen” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
  • fremdgehen” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
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