What does it mean word for word?
rausgehen is a contraction of herausgehen, where raus is a colloquial form of the prefix heraus (out/outwards).
Which one should you use?
While rausgehen implies moving from an interior space to an exterior space, ausgehen typically refers to 'going out' for social purposes like a date or a night on the town.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For more formal, standard written or high-register German, use hinausgehen. Additionally, Rauskommen is an informal expression for 'step out' in German.
How does it change in a sentence?
In a main clause, the separable prefix raus moves to the end of the sentence, as seen in Er geht jetzt raus (He is stepping out now). The past participle of rausgehen is rausgegangen, used with the auxiliary verb sein (to be) to form the perfect tense.
Did you know?
- In German, the direction of 'stepping out' changes based on the speaker's position. Herausgehen is used when the person is moving toward the speaker, while hinausgehen is used when they are moving away.
- The prefix raus in rausgehen is so common in speech that it is often used as a standalone command, Raus!, to tell someone to get out of a room immediately.
- While rausgehen means to step out, the related verb ausgehen can also mean that a fire has gone out or that a light has failed.
Examples in context
- Bitte treten Sie hinaus.Please step out.
- Würden Sie bitte herauskommen?Would you please step out?
- Kannst du bitte rausgehen?Can you please step out?
- Komm bitte raus!Please come out!
- Ich möchte kurz rausgehen.I want to step out for a moment.
Example conversation
Hannah and Felix are in a quiet office and want a break.
- FelixHannah, wollen wir kurz rausgehen?Hannah, do you want to step out for a bit?
- HannahJa, das ist eine gute Idee.Yes, that is a good idea.
- FelixIch muss auch mal rausgehen.I also need to step out.
- HannahKomm, wir gehen zusammen.Come, let's go together.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry rausgehen, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
