German Phrase
Vertrau deinem Bauchgefühl und geh.
Meaning
‘Trust your gut feeling and go.’ It’s a short, motivational sentence urging someone to listen to their intuition and take action without overthinking.
When to use
Use this phrase when giving informal, encouraging advice – for example, before a friend makes a big decision, starts a new project, or steps onto a stage.
✦Grammar Breakdown
VertraudeinemBauchgefühlundgeh
Imperative (du) – Vertrau
‘Vertrau’ is the informal singular imperative of ‘vertrauen’. The verb takes a dative object, so the following noun phrase must be in dative.
Dative object – deinem Bauchgefühl
‘Bauchgefühl’ (gut feeling) is neuter; in dative it becomes ‘dem Bauchgefühl’, but with the possessive article it is ‘deinem Bauchgefühl’.
Imperative (du) – geh
‘Geh’ is the informal singular imperative of ‘gehen’. It can also appear as ‘gehe’ in a slightly more formal or literary style.
Coordinating conjunction – und
‘Und’ simply links the two imperative clauses, creating a compound command.
🗨In Conversation
Vertrau deinem Bauchgefühl und geh.
Trust your gut feeling and go.
Okay, ich mache es einfach. Danke!
Okay, I’ll just do it. Thanks!
✕Common Mistakes
Vertrau deinen Bauchgefühl und geh.
‘Bauchgefühl’ is a neuter noun; after ‘vertrauen’ it requires dative, so the correct form is ‘deinem Bauchgefühl’.
Vertraue deinem Bauchgefühl und geh.
While ‘Vertraue’ is grammatically correct, the shorter ‘Vertrau’ sounds more natural in casual spoken German.
Vertrau deinem Bauchgefühl und gehst.
The imperative form drops the ending; ‘gehst’ is the 2nd‑person singular present tense, not a command.
↔Alternatives
Hör auf dein Bauchgefühl und mach dich auf den Weg.
Listen to your gut feeling and set off.
Vertraue deinem Instinkt und geh los.
Trust your instinct and go ahead.
Folge deinem Bauch und geh.
Follow your gut and go.
Cultural Tip
‘Bauchgefühl’ is a common German idiom for intuition. Germans often balance rational analysis with this gut feeling, especially in personal decisions. The informal imperative ‘Vertrau’ and ‘geh’ signals a friendly, supportive tone – avoid using it in formal business settings unless you know the person well.