Abholen Examples, Sentences and Quiz in German
How do you actually use abholen — “to pick up” — in a real sentence? This page shows you: twelve example sentences across the tenses, a short dialogue, the mistakes learners make most often with this verb, and a quiz to test yourself. Every German form on this page comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for abholen. Start with the simplest sentence: “Ich hole meine Tochter von der Schule ab.” — “I pick up my daughter from school.”
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for abholen, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Abholen in real sentences
Twelve sentences with abholen, covering the present, the Präteritum, the Perfekt, the Plusquamperfekt, the future, Konjunktiv I and II, and the imperative. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich hole meine Tochter von der Schule ab.” — “I pick up my daughter from school.”
- “Du holst meine Tochter von der Schule ab.” — “You pick up my daughter from school.”
- “Er holt meine Tochter von der Schule ab.” — “He picks up my daughter from school.”
- “Ich holte meine Tochter von der Schule ab.” — “I picked up my daughter from school.”
- “Wir holten meine Tochter von der Schule ab.” — “We picked up my daughter from school.”
- “Ich habe meine Tochter von der Schule abgeholt.” — “I have picked up my daughter from school.”
- “Du hast meine Tochter von der Schule abgeholt.” — “You have picked up my daughter from school.”
- “Ich hatte meine Tochter von der Schule abgeholt.” — “I had picked up my daughter from school.”
- “Wir werden meine Tochter von der Schule abholen.” — “We will pick up my daughter from school.”
- “Ich werde meine Tochter von der Schule abgeholt haben.” — “I will have picked up my daughter from school.”
- “Es ist wichtig, dass ich meine Tochter von der Schule abhole.” — “It is important that I pick up my daughter from school.”
- “Ich holte meine Tochter von der Schule ab.” — “I would pick up my daughter from school if I could.”
- “Ich hätte meine Tochter von der Schule abgeholt.” — “I would have picked up my daughter from school if I had been able to.”
- “Hol meine Tochter von der Schule ab!” — “Pick up my daughter from school!”
A short dialogue with abholen
Anna and Ben talk about their plans. Every form of abholen in the dialogue comes from the verified tables — read it aloud, changing the person each time.
Anna: “Du holst meine Tochter von der Schule ab?” — “You pick up my daughter from school?”
Ben: “Ich hole meine Tochter von der Schule ab.” — “I pick up my daughter from school.”
Anna: “Du hast meine Tochter von der Schule abgeholt?” — “You have picked up my daughter from school?”
Ben: “Ich habe meine Tochter von der Schule abgeholt.” — “I have picked up my daughter from school.”
Anna: “Du wirst meine Tochter von der Schule abholen?” — “You will pick up my daughter from school?”
Ben: “Ich werde meine Tochter von der Schule abholen.” — “I will pick up my daughter from school.”
Anna: “Hol meine Tochter von der Schule ab!” — “Pick up my daughter from school!”
Ben: “Ich hole meine Tochter von der Schule ab.” — “I pick up my daughter from school.”
Notice how the verb changes with the person and the tense while the meaning stays the same: hole ab, holst ab, habe abgeholt, werde abholen. If you can follow this dialogue without looking at the tables, you know abholen well enough to use it.
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich abholen meine Tochter von der Schule.”
✓ Right: “Ich hole meine Tochter von der Schule ab.”
The infinitive abholen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form hole ab.
2. Confusing abholen with bringen
✗ Wrong: “Ich bringen meine Tochter von der Schule.” (using the wrong verb)
✓ Right: “Ich hole meine Tochter von der Schule ab.”
abholen means “to pick up”; bringen means “to bring”. Keep the two verbs apart by their meaning, not by their sound.
3. Forgetting to split the separable prefix
✗ Wrong: “Ich abholen meine Tochter von der Schule.” (prefix left attached to the stem)
✓ Right: “Ich hole meine Tochter von der Schule ab.”
abholen is separable: in finite forms the prefix ab goes to the end of the clause — hole ab — and the participle keeps it attached with ge- in between (abgeholt).
4. Using the indicative after a Konjunktiv I trigger
✗ Wrong: “Es ist wichtig, dass du meine Tochter von der Schule abholst.”
✓ Right: “Es ist wichtig, dass du meine Tochter von der Schule abholest.”
After es ist wichtig, dass German needs Konjunktiv I, so use holest ab here, not the indicative holst ab.
Quiz: test yourself
What is the ich form of abholen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) holen ab
- B) holt ab
- C) holst ab
- D) hole ab
What is the er/sie/es form of abholen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) holst ab
- B) hole ab
- C) holen ab
- D) holt ab
What is the du form of abholen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) holtest ab
- B) holten ab
- C) holte ab
- D) holtet ab
What is the wir form of abholen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) haben abgeholt
- B) hast abgeholt
- C) habt abgeholt
- D) hat abgeholt
What is the ich form of abholen in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) werde abholen
- B) werdet abholen
- C) wird abholen
- D) wirst abholen
What is the du form of abholen in the Konjunktiv II?
- A) holte ab
- B) holtet ab
- C) holtest ab
- D) holten ab
What is the ich form of abholen in the Conditional perfect?
- A) hätte abgeholt
- B) hätten abgeholt
- C) hättet abgeholt
- D) hättest abgeholt
What is the past participle of abholen?
- A) hole ab
- B) abgeholt
- C) abholend
- D) holte ab
What is the present participle of abholen?
- A) hole ab
- B) abgeholt
- C) abholend
- D) werde abholen
What does abholen mean in English?
- A) to bring
- B) to come
- C) to do
- D) to pick up
Answer key
- D) hole ab — the ich form of abholen in the present tense is hole ab.
- D) holt ab — the er/sie/es form of abholen in the present tense is holt ab.
- A) holtest ab — the du form of abholen in the preterite is holtest ab.
- A) haben abgeholt — the wir form of abholen in the Perfekt is haben abgeholt.
- A) werde abholen — the ich form of abholen in the Futur I is werde abholen.
- C) holtest ab — the du form of abholen in the Konjunktiv II is holtest ab.
- A) hätte abgeholt — the ich form of abholen in the conditional perfect is hätte abgeholt.
- B) abgeholt — the past participle of abholen is abgeholt; perfect tenses use haben + abgeholt.
- C) abholend — the present participle of abholen is abholend.
- D) to pick up — abholen means “to pick up” in English.
Frequently asked questions
What does abholen mean in English?
abholen means “to pick up”. The examples above show it in everyday situations — for example, “Ich hole meine Tochter von der Schule ab.” (“I pick up my daughter from school.”).
Is abholen regular or irregular?
abholen is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. The full tables are on the conjugation page.
How do I use abholen in the Perfekt?
Use haben + the past participle abgeholt: “Ich habe meine Tochter von der Schule abgeholt.” — “I have picked up my daughter from school.” The full Perfekt table is on the conjugation page.
Related pages
- abholen conjugation — the full conjugation tables for this verb in every tense.
- abholen in the present tense — the full table and uses for this verb in one tense.
- German verbs — the full hub of German conjugation pages.
- German irregular verbs — every common irregular German verb, grouped by pattern.
- Einladen conjugation — another German verb to practise with.
- Treffen conjugation — another German verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise abholen with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise abholen with the interactive tool.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise the present tense with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.