Verb

begeben

Translation

to go, to proceed, to happen, to relinquish

Er begab sich auf den Weg.

He set off on his way.

Es begab sich, dass sie sich trafen.

It so happened that they met.

Er musste sich seines Amtes begeben.

He had to relinquish his office.

sich ((to a place)) to go (to a place) He went to his workplace.

es begibt sich, dass ... it happens that ... It happened that the king died.

Synonyms: sich aufmachen, gehen (to go); geschehen, passieren (to happen)

From the prefix 'be-' and 'geben' (to give). Reflexively, 'sich begeben' literally means 'to give oneself' to a place or situation.

Think of 'giving' ('geben') yourself ('sich') to a new location or journey. 'I give myself to the path'.