Anmachen Present Tense Conjugation in German

The present tense of anmachen — “to switch on” — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. This page gives you the complete present tense table for anmachen, 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 mache das Licht im Zimmer an.” — “I switch on the light in the room.”

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for anmachen, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Present Tense conjugation of anmachen

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for anmachen. anmachen is irregular in the present, so learn the forms in the table as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive.

Present (Präsens) — anmachen

Person Form
ich mache an
du machst an
er/sie/es macht an
wir machen an
ihr macht an
sie/Sie machen an

The present participle of anmachen is anmachend and the past participle is angemacht. You need the participle for the perfect tenses, and the present participle for adjectival use.

How the present tense of anmachen is formed

The present tense of anmachen does not follow the regular pattern, so the stem-and-endings description is only a starting point: ich → mache an, du → machst an, er/sie/es → macht an, wir → machen an, ihr → macht an, sie/Sie → machen an. 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. anmachen is separable: the prefix an splits off in the present tense and goes to the end of the clause — “Ich mache das Licht im Zimmer an.”. In the infinitive and the participle the prefix stays attached (anmachen, angemacht).

When to use the present tense of anmachen

1. Habits and routines

Use the present tense for habits and routines. For example, with anmachen: “Ich mache das Licht im Zimmer an.” — “I switch on the light in the room.” 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 anmachen: “Du machst das Licht im Zimmer an.” — “You switch on the light in the room.” 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 anmachen: “Er macht das Licht im Zimmer an.” — “He switches on the light in the room.” 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 anmachen: “Wir machen das Licht im Zimmer an.” — “We switch on the light in the room.” 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 anmachen: “Sie machen das Licht im Zimmer an.” — “They switch on the light in the room.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

Present vs future: anmachen now, anmachen 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 mache das Licht im Zimmer an.” — “I switch on the light in the room.”

  • Future: “Ich werde das Licht im Zimmer anmachen.” — “I will switch on the light in the room.”

  • Present: “Du machst das Licht im Zimmer an.” — “You switch on the light in the room.”

  • Future: “Du wirst das Licht im Zimmer anmachen.” — “You will switch on the light in the room.”

  • Present: “Wir machen das Licht im Zimmer an.” — “We switch on the light in the room.”

  • Future: “Wir werden das Licht im Zimmer anmachen.” — “We will switch on the light in the room.”

Example sentences: anmachen in the present tense

Six sentences using only the present tense of anmachen, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.

  • “Ich mache das Licht im Zimmer an.” — “I switch on the light in the room.”
  • “Du machst das Licht im Zimmer an.” — “You switch on the light in the room.”
  • “Er macht das Licht im Zimmer an.” — “He switches on the light in the room.”
  • “Wir machen das Licht im Zimmer an.” — “We switch on the light in the room.”
  • “Ihr macht das Licht im Zimmer an.” — “You switch on the light in the room.”
  • “Sie machen das Licht im Zimmer an.” — “They switch on the light in the room.”

Common mistakes with anmachen in the present tense

1. Forgetting to split the separable prefix

✗ Wrong: “Ich anmachen das Licht im Zimmer.” (prefix left attached to the stem)

✓ Right: “Ich mache das Licht im Zimmer an.”

anmachen is separable: in the present tense the prefix an goes to the end of the clause.

2. Mixing up the persons

✗ Wrong: “Du mache an das Licht im Zimmer.”

✓ Right: “Du machst das Licht im Zimmer an.”

After du you need machst an, not the ich form mache an. Each person has its own ending.

3. Using the future for a habit

✗ Wrong: “Ich werde das Licht im Zimmer anmachen.”

✓ Right: “Ich mache das Licht im Zimmer an.”

A habit that happens every day takes the present (mache an), not the future.

4. Using the Präteritum for something happening now

✗ Wrong: “Ich machte das Licht im Zimmer an.”

✓ Right: “Ich mache das Licht im Zimmer an.”

Something happening right now takes the present (mache an), not the Präteritum.

Quiz: anmachen in the present tense

  1. What is the ich form of anmachen in the Present (Präsens)?

    • A) mache an
    • B) machen an
    • C) machst an
    • D) macht an

  2. What is the du form of anmachen in the Present (Präsens)?

    • A) macht an
    • B) machen an
    • C) machst an
    • D) mache an

  3. What is the er/sie/es form of anmachen in the Present (Präsens)?

    • A) machst an
    • B) mache an
    • C) machen an
    • D) macht an

  4. What is the wir form of anmachen in the Present (Präsens)?

    • A) machst an
    • B) machen an
    • C) macht an
    • D) mache an

  5. What is the ihr form of anmachen in the Present (Präsens)?

    • A) mache an
    • B) machen an
    • C) macht an
    • D) machst an

  6. What is the sie/Sie form of anmachen in the Present (Präsens)?

    • A) mache an
    • B) machst an
    • C) machen an
    • D) macht an

  7. What is the past participle of anmachen?

    • A) angemacht
    • B) anmachend
    • C) machte an
    • D) mache an

  8. Which auxiliary does anmachen take in the Perfekt?

    • A) sein
    • B) haben
    • C) werden

Answer key

  1. A) mache an — the ich form of anmachen in the present tense is mache an.
  2. C) machst an — the du form of anmachen in the present tense is machst an.
  3. D) macht an — the er/sie/es form of anmachen in the present tense is macht an.
  4. B) machen an — the wir form of anmachen in the present tense is machen an.
  5. C) macht an — the ihr form of anmachen in the present tense is macht an.
  6. C) machen an — the sie/Sie form of anmachen in the present tense is machen an.
  7. A) angemacht — the past participle of anmachen is angemacht; the Perfekt uses haben + angemacht.
  8. B) haben — anmachen takes haben in the Perfekt: habe angemacht.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present tense of anmachen formed?

From the stem plus the present endings: ich → mache an, du → machst an, er/sie/es → macht an, wir → machen an, ihr → macht an, sie/Sie → machen an. The German present tense guide explains the pattern for all verbs.

Is anmachen regular in the present tense?

No — anmachen 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 anmachen?

The past participle is angemacht. Use it with haben for the Perfekt, as in habe angemacht, and with haben in the past for the Plusquamperfekt, as in hatte angemacht.

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