Annehmen Perfekt Tense Conjugation in German

The Perfekt of annehmen — “to accept” — is the tense you need for finished actions in the past: what you did yesterday, what happened last week, what has just finished. It is formed with haben in the present + the past participle angenommen, so once you know the participle you can build every person. This page gives you the complete Perfekt table for annehmen, how it is formed, when to use it, how it differs from the Präteritum, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Ich habe das Angebot der Firma angenommen.” — “I have accepted the firm's offer.”

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

Perfekt Tense conjugation of annehmen

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for annehmen. The Perfekt is a compound tense: haben in the present + the past participle angenommen. The participle never changes in the table below — the tables give the single uninflected participle form, and the auxiliary carries the person.

Perfect (Perfekt) — annehmen

Person Form
ich habe angenommen
du hast angenommen
er/sie/es hat angenommen
wir haben angenommen
ihr habt angenommen
sie/Sie haben angenommen

The present participle of annehmen is annehmend and the past participle is angenommen. You need the participle for the perfect tenses, and the present participle for adjectival use.

How the Perfekt of annehmen is formed

Take the present tense of the auxiliary haben and add the past participle angenommen: ich → habe angenommen, du → hast angenommen, er/sie/es → hat angenommen, wir → haben angenommen, ihr → habt angenommen, sie/Sie → haben angenommen. So annehmen gives habe angenommen, hast angenommen, hat angenommen, haben angenommen, habt angenommen, haben angenommen. annehmen takes haben, the default auxiliary. The past participle stays invariable in the Perfekt: it does not agree with the subject, so angenommen is the same for every person. Because annehmen is separable, the participle takes ge- between the prefix and the stem: an + ge- + stem gives angenommen. In the Perfekt the prefix stays attached to the participle — it only splits off in the simple finite forms, as in nehme an. A note on the participle: angenommen is the only past participle for annehmen in the verified tables. Do not invent a second participle, and do not borrow the participle of a similar verb.

When to use the Perfekt of annehmen

1. A finished event in the past

Use the Perfekt for a finished event in the past. For example, with annehmen: “Ich habe das Angebot der Firma angenommen.” — “I have accepted the firm's offer.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

2. Something that has just happened

Use the Perfekt for something that has just happened. For example, with annehmen: “Du hast das Angebot der Firma angenommen.” — “You have accepted the firm's offer.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

3. A sequence of past events

Use the Perfekt for a sequence of past events. For example, with annehmen: “Er hat das Angebot der Firma angenommen.” — “He has accepted the firm's offer.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

4. Life experience up to now

Use the Perfekt for life experience up to now. For example, with annehmen: “Wir haben das Angebot der Firma angenommen.” — “We have accepted the firm's offer.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

5. A past event with a definite time

Use the Perfekt for a past event with a definite time. For example, with annehmen: “Ihr habt das Angebot der Firma angenommen.” — “You have accepted the firm's offer.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

Perfekt vs Präteritum: annehmen in speech and in writing

The Perfekt and the Präteritum both talk about the past, but they are not interchangeable in register. The Perfekt is the tense of spoken German: what you say in conversation. The Präteritum is the tense of written narration: stories, reports and formal writing. Compare the pairs below — the Perfekt form comes from this page, the Präteritum form from the full conjugation table.

  • Perfekt (spoken): “Ich habe das Angebot der Firma angenommen.” — “I have accepted the firm's offer.”

  • Präteritum (written): “Ich nahm das Angebot der Firma an.” — “I accepted the firm's offer.”

  • Perfekt (spoken): “Du hast das Angebot der Firma angenommen.” — “You have accepted the firm's offer.”

  • Präteritum (written): “Du nahmst das Angebot der Firma an.” — “You accepted the firm's offer.”

  • Perfekt (spoken): “Wir haben das Angebot der Firma angenommen.” — “We have accepted the firm's offer.”

  • Präteritum (written): “Wir nahmen das Angebot der Firma an.” — “We accepted the firm's offer.”

Example sentences: annehmen in the Perfekt

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

  • “Ich habe das Angebot der Firma angenommen.” — “I have accepted the firm's offer.”
  • “Du hast das Angebot der Firma angenommen.” — “You have accepted the firm's offer.”
  • “Er hat das Angebot der Firma angenommen.” — “He has accepted the firm's offer.”
  • “Wir haben das Angebot der Firma angenommen.” — “We have accepted the firm's offer.”
  • “Ihr habt das Angebot der Firma angenommen.” — “You have accepted the firm's offer.”
  • “Sie haben das Angebot der Firma angenommen.” — “They have accepted the firm's offer.”

Common mistakes with annehmen in the Perfekt

1. Using the wrong auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Ich bin das Angebot der Firma angenommen.”

✓ Right: “Ich habe das Angebot der Firma angenommen.”

With annehmen the Perfekt takes haben, not sein. The correct form is habe angenommen.

2. Using the present for a finished past event

✗ Wrong: “Ich nehme das Angebot der Firma an.”

✓ Right: “Ich habe das Angebot der Firma angenommen.”

Yesterday’s finished event needs the Perfekt (habe angenommen), not the present.

3. Using the Präteritum for a single finished event in speech

✗ Wrong: “Ich nahm das Angebot der Firma an.” (in conversation)

✓ Right: “Ich habe das Angebot der Firma angenommen.”

In spoken German a single finished event yesterday takes the Perfekt. The Präteritum belongs in written narration.

4. Putting ge- in the wrong place in the participle

✗ Wrong: “Ich habe geannehmen das Angebot der Firma.”

✓ Right: “Ich habe das Angebot der Firma angenommen.”

With a separable verb the ge- goes between the prefix and the stem: angenommen, not geannehmen.

Quiz: annehmen in the Perfekt

  1. What is the ich form of annehmen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?

    • A) habe angenommen
    • B) hat angenommen
    • C) hast angenommen
    • D) haben angenommen

  2. What is the du form of annehmen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?

    • A) habe angenommen
    • B) hast angenommen
    • C) hat angenommen
    • D) haben angenommen

  3. What is the er/sie/es form of annehmen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?

    • A) haben angenommen
    • B) hast angenommen
    • C) habe angenommen
    • D) hat angenommen

  4. What is the wir form of annehmen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?

    • A) hat angenommen
    • B) hast angenommen
    • C) haben angenommen
    • D) habe angenommen

  5. What is the ihr form of annehmen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?

    • A) hat angenommen
    • B) habt angenommen
    • C) hast angenommen
    • D) haben angenommen

  6. What is the sie/Sie form of annehmen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?

    • A) hast angenommen
    • B) habt angenommen
    • C) haben angenommen
    • D) habe angenommen

  7. What is the past participle of annehmen?

    • A) nahm an
    • B) nehme an
    • C) angenommen
    • D) annehmend

  8. Which auxiliary does annehmen take in the Perfekt?

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

Answer key

  1. A) habe angenommen — the ich form of annehmen in the Perfekt is habe angenommen.
  2. B) hast angenommen — the du form of annehmen in the Perfekt is hast angenommen.
  3. D) hat angenommen — the er/sie/es form of annehmen in the Perfekt is hat angenommen.
  4. C) haben angenommen — the wir form of annehmen in the Perfekt is haben angenommen.
  5. B) habt angenommen — the ihr form of annehmen in the Perfekt is habt angenommen.
  6. C) haben angenommen — the sie/Sie form of annehmen in the Perfekt is haben angenommen.
  7. C) angenommen — the past participle of annehmen is angenommen; the Perfekt uses haben + angenommen.
  8. A) haben — annehmen takes haben in the Perfekt: habe angenommen.

Frequently asked questions

How is the Perfekt of annehmen formed?

With haben in the present + the past participle angenommen: ich → habe angenommen, du → hast angenommen, er/sie/es → hat angenommen. The full table is above, and the German Perfekt tense guide explains the pattern for all verbs.

Is annehmen regular in the Perfekt?

Yes — annehmen is regular in the Perfekt: the forms follow the standard pattern. The full picture, including the irregular tenses if any, is on the full conjugation page.

What is the past participle of annehmen?

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

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