Abholen Present Tense Conjugation in German
The present tense of abholen — “to pick up” — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. This page gives you the complete present tense table for abholen, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “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.
Present Tense conjugation of abholen
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for abholen. abholen is irregular in the present, so learn the forms in the table as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive.
Present (Präsens) — abholen
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hole ab |
| du | holst ab |
| er/sie/es | holt ab |
| wir | holen ab |
| ihr | holt ab |
| sie/Sie | holen ab |
The present participle of abholen is abholend and the past participle is abgeholt. You need the participle for the perfect tenses, and the present participle for adjectival use.
How the present tense of abholen is formed
The present tense of abholen does not follow the regular pattern, so the stem-and-endings description is only a starting point: ich → hole ab, du → holst ab, er/sie/es → holt ab, wir → holen ab, ihr → holt ab, sie/Sie → holen ab. Learn these six forms as a set — they are the forms you will use most often, and the subjunctive and imperative are built on them. abholen is separable: the prefix ab splits off in the present tense and goes to the end of the clause — “Ich hole meine Tochter von der Schule ab.”. In the infinitive and the participle the prefix stays attached (abholen, abgeholt).
When to use the present tense of abholen
1. Habits and routines
Use the present tense for habits and routines. For example, with abholen: “Ich hole meine Tochter von der Schule ab.” — “I pick up my daughter from school.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
2. General truths and facts
Use the present tense for general truths and facts. For example, with abholen: “Du holst meine Tochter von der Schule ab.” — “You pick up my daughter from school.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
3. What is happening right now
Use the present tense for what is happening right now. For example, with abholen: “Er holt meine Tochter von der Schule ab.” — “He picks up my daughter from school.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
4. Scheduled plans and the near future
Use the present tense for scheduled plans and the near future. For example, with abholen: “Wir holen meine Tochter von der Schule ab.” — “We pick up my daughter from school.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
5. Narration and instructions
Use the present tense for narration and instructions. For example, with abholen: “Sie holen meine Tochter von der Schule ab.” — “They pick up my daughter from school.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Present vs future: abholen now, abholen later
The present and the future both talk about things that have not happened yet in one sense, but they are not interchangeable. The present is for what is true now or already fixed; the future is for what will happen and is not yet certain. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the future form from the full conjugation table.
Present: “Ich hole meine Tochter von der Schule ab.” — “I pick up my daughter from school.”
Future: “Ich werde meine Tochter von der Schule abholen.” — “I will pick up my daughter from school.”
Present: “Du holst meine Tochter von der Schule ab.” — “You pick up my daughter from school.”
Future: “Du wirst meine Tochter von der Schule abholen.” — “You will pick up my daughter from school.”
Present: “Wir holen meine Tochter von der Schule ab.” — “We pick up my daughter from school.”
Future: “Wir werden meine Tochter von der Schule abholen.” — “We will pick up my daughter from school.”
Example sentences: abholen in the present tense
Six sentences using only the present tense of abholen, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “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.”
- “Wir holen meine Tochter von der Schule ab.” — “We pick up my daughter from school.”
- “Ihr holt meine Tochter von der Schule ab.” — “You pick up my daughter from school.”
- “Sie holen meine Tochter von der Schule ab.” — “They pick up my daughter from school.”
Common mistakes with abholen in the present tense
1. 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 the present tense the prefix ab goes to the end of the clause.
2. Mixing up the persons
✗ Wrong: “Du hole ab meine Tochter von der Schule.”
✓ Right: “Du holst meine Tochter von der Schule ab.”
After du you need holst ab, not the ich form hole ab. Each person has its own ending.
3. Using the future for a habit
✗ Wrong: “Ich werde meine Tochter von der Schule abholen.”
✓ Right: “Ich hole meine Tochter von der Schule ab.”
A habit that happens every day takes the present (hole ab), not the future.
4. Using the Präteritum for something happening now
✗ Wrong: “Ich holte meine Tochter von der Schule ab.”
✓ Right: “Ich hole meine Tochter von der Schule ab.”
Something happening right now takes the present (hole ab), not the Präteritum.
Quiz: abholen in the present tense
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 du form of abholen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) holt ab
- B) holen ab
- C) hole ab
- D) holst ab
What is the er/sie/es form of abholen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) hole ab
- B) holt ab
- C) holen ab
- D) holst ab
What is the wir form of abholen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) hole ab
- B) holst ab
- C) holt ab
- D) holen ab
What is the ihr form of abholen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) holst ab
- B) holen ab
- C) holt ab
- D) hole ab
What is the sie/Sie form of abholen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) holst ab
- B) holen ab
- C) hole ab
- D) holt ab
What is the past participle of abholen?
- A) holte ab
- B) hole ab
- C) abholend
- D) abgeholt
Which auxiliary does abholen take in the Perfekt?
- A) werden
- B) sein
- C) haben
Answer key
- D) hole ab — the ich form of abholen in the present tense is hole ab.
- D) holst ab — the du form of abholen in the present tense is holst ab.
- B) holt ab — the er/sie/es form of abholen in the present tense is holt ab.
- D) holen ab — the wir form of abholen in the present tense is holen ab.
- C) holt ab — the ihr form of abholen in the present tense is holt ab.
- B) holen ab — the sie/Sie form of abholen in the present tense is holen ab.
- D) abgeholt — the past participle of abholen is abgeholt; the Perfekt uses haben + abgeholt.
- C) haben — abholen takes haben in the Perfekt: habe abgeholt.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of abholen formed?
From the stem plus the present endings: ich → hole ab, du → holst ab, er/sie/es → holt ab, wir → holen ab, ihr → holt ab, sie/Sie → holen ab. The German present tense guide explains the pattern for all verbs.
Is abholen regular in the present tense?
No — abholen is irregular in the present tense, so learn the table above as a set. The other tenses are listed on the full conjugation page.
What is the past participle of abholen?
The past participle is abgeholt. Use it with haben for the Perfekt, as in habe abgeholt, and with haben in the past for the Plusquamperfekt, as in hatte abgeholt.
Related pages
- abholen conjugation — the full conjugation tables for this verb in every tense.
- abholen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- 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.