Absagen Present Tense Conjugation in German
The present tense of absagen — “to cancel” — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. This page gives you the complete present tense table for absagen, 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 sage den Termin am Freitag ab.” — “I cancel the appointment on Friday.”
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for absagen, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Present Tense conjugation of absagen
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for absagen. absagen is irregular in the present, so learn the forms in the table as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive.
Present (Präsens) — absagen
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | sage ab |
| du | sagst ab |
| er/sie/es | sagt ab |
| wir | sagen ab |
| ihr | sagt ab |
| sie/Sie | sagen ab |
The present participle of absagen is absagend and the past participle is abgesagt. You need the participle for the perfect tenses, and the present participle for adjectival use.
How the present tense of absagen is formed
The present tense of absagen does not follow the regular pattern, so the stem-and-endings description is only a starting point: ich → sage ab, du → sagst ab, er/sie/es → sagt ab, wir → sagen ab, ihr → sagt ab, sie/Sie → sagen 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. absagen is separable: the prefix ab splits off in the present tense and goes to the end of the clause — “Ich sage den Termin am Freitag ab.”. In the infinitive and the participle the prefix stays attached (absagen, abgesagt).
When to use the present tense of absagen
1. Habits and routines
Use the present tense for habits and routines. For example, with absagen: “Ich sage den Termin am Freitag ab.” — “I cancel the appointment on Friday.” 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 absagen: “Du sagst den Termin am Freitag ab.” — “You cancel the appointment on Friday.” 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 absagen: “Er sagt den Termin am Freitag ab.” — “He cancels the appointment on Friday.” 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 absagen: “Wir sagen den Termin am Freitag ab.” — “We cancel the appointment on Friday.” 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 absagen: “Sie sagen den Termin am Freitag ab.” — “They cancel the appointment on Friday.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Present vs future: absagen now, absagen 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 sage den Termin am Freitag ab.” — “I cancel the appointment on Friday.”
Future: “Ich werde den Termin am Freitag absagen.” — “I will cancel the appointment on Friday.”
Present: “Du sagst den Termin am Freitag ab.” — “You cancel the appointment on Friday.”
Future: “Du wirst den Termin am Freitag absagen.” — “You will cancel the appointment on Friday.”
Present: “Wir sagen den Termin am Freitag ab.” — “We cancel the appointment on Friday.”
Future: “Wir werden den Termin am Freitag absagen.” — “We will cancel the appointment on Friday.”
Example sentences: absagen in the present tense
Six sentences using only the present tense of absagen, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “Ich sage den Termin am Freitag ab.” — “I cancel the appointment on Friday.”
- “Du sagst den Termin am Freitag ab.” — “You cancel the appointment on Friday.”
- “Er sagt den Termin am Freitag ab.” — “He cancels the appointment on Friday.”
- “Wir sagen den Termin am Freitag ab.” — “We cancel the appointment on Friday.”
- “Ihr sagt den Termin am Freitag ab.” — “You cancel the appointment on Friday.”
- “Sie sagen den Termin am Freitag ab.” — “They cancel the appointment on Friday.”
Common mistakes with absagen in the present tense
1. Forgetting to split the separable prefix
✗ Wrong: “Ich absagen den Termin am Freitag.” (prefix left attached to the stem)
✓ Right: “Ich sage den Termin am Freitag ab.”
absagen is separable: in the present tense the prefix ab goes to the end of the clause.
2. Mixing up the persons
✗ Wrong: “Du sage ab den Termin am Freitag.”
✓ Right: “Du sagst den Termin am Freitag ab.”
After du you need sagst ab, not the ich form sage ab. Each person has its own ending.
3. Using the future for a habit
✗ Wrong: “Ich werde den Termin am Freitag absagen.”
✓ Right: “Ich sage den Termin am Freitag ab.”
A habit that happens every day takes the present (sage ab), not the future.
4. Using the Präteritum for something happening now
✗ Wrong: “Ich sagte den Termin am Freitag ab.”
✓ Right: “Ich sage den Termin am Freitag ab.”
Something happening right now takes the present (sage ab), not the Präteritum.
Quiz: absagen in the present tense
What is the ich form of absagen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) sagst ab
- B) sagen ab
- C) sagt ab
- D) sage ab
What is the du form of absagen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) sagen ab
- B) sagt ab
- C) sage ab
- D) sagst ab
What is the er/sie/es form of absagen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) sagst ab
- B) sagt ab
- C) sagen ab
- D) sage ab
What is the wir form of absagen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) sagt ab
- B) sagen ab
- C) sagst ab
- D) sage ab
What is the ihr form of absagen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) sage ab
- B) sagst ab
- C) sagen ab
- D) sagt ab
What is the sie/Sie form of absagen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) sagt ab
- B) sagen ab
- C) sage ab
- D) sagst ab
What is the past participle of absagen?
- A) abgesagt
- B) absagend
- C) sagte ab
- D) sage ab
Which auxiliary does absagen take in the Perfekt?
- A) sein
- B) haben
- C) werden
Answer key
- D) sage ab — the ich form of absagen in the present tense is sage ab.
- D) sagst ab — the du form of absagen in the present tense is sagst ab.
- B) sagt ab — the er/sie/es form of absagen in the present tense is sagt ab.
- B) sagen ab — the wir form of absagen in the present tense is sagen ab.
- D) sagt ab — the ihr form of absagen in the present tense is sagt ab.
- B) sagen ab — the sie/Sie form of absagen in the present tense is sagen ab.
- A) abgesagt — the past participle of absagen is abgesagt; the Perfekt uses haben + abgesagt.
- B) haben — absagen takes haben in the Perfekt: habe abgesagt.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of absagen formed?
From the stem plus the present endings: ich → sage ab, du → sagst ab, er/sie/es → sagt ab, wir → sagen ab, ihr → sagt ab, sie/Sie → sagen ab. The German present tense guide explains the pattern for all verbs.
Is absagen regular in the present tense?
No — absagen 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 absagen?
The past participle is abgesagt. Use it with haben for the Perfekt, as in habe abgesagt, and with haben in the past for the Plusquamperfekt, as in hatte abgesagt.
Related pages
- absagen conjugation — the full conjugation tables for this verb in every tense.
- absagen 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 absagen with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise absagen with the interactive tool.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise the present tense with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.