gehören
Translation
to belong to, to be part of, to be proper
Examples
Wem gehört dieses Buch?
Who does this book belong to?
Er gehört jetzt zu unserem Team.
He is part of our team now.
So etwas gehört sich einfach nicht.
Something like that just isn't proper.
Grammar Patterns
((j-m)) gehören to belong to (sb.dat) The book belongs to me.
((zu+3)) gehören to be part of (sth.dat) She belongs to the club.
sich gehören to be proper/done That just isn't done.
Similar Words
Synonyms: zugehören, angehören
Etymology
From prefix ge- + hören (to hear). Originally meant 'to be heard as part of something', which evolved into 'to belong'.
Memory Tips
Memorize the key phrase 'Das gehört mir!' (That belongs to me!). Be careful: 'gehört' is also the past participle of 'hören' (to hear). 'Ich habe gehört' means 'I have heard'.