Ärgern Conjugation in German
ärgern means “to annoy” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 296 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You use it whenever you talk about annoying my brother, and because it comes up in everyday conversation so often, learning its forms properly pays off from the very first week. This page gives you the complete conjugation of ärgern — every tense, every person, both participles and the infinitive — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Ich ärgere meinen Bruder jeden Tag.” — “I annoy my brother every day.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: ärgern
- English: to annoy
- Verb type: Regular
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Pattern: weak
- Separable: no
- Participle I: ärgernd
- Past participle (Partizip II): geärgert
- Auxiliary: haben (all perfect tenses are formed with haben + the past participle)
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for ärgern, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Learn the spelling of the forms first, and listen to a native speaker for the sounds rather than trusting an invented transcription. The forms below are the ones that matter: once you can read ärgern in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about ärgern
- It is regular: every form follows the ordinary weak pattern, so once you know the stem you can build the whole table. The only work is learning the endings, not memorising exceptions.
- The perfect tenses use haben: the perfect is formed with haben in the present plus the past participle geärgert. The tables on this page give the participle in the uninflected form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.
- Partizip I is ärgernd and Partizip II is geärgert: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because Partizip I appears in adjectival uses and Partizip II appears in every perfect tense. If you know those two forms and the present tense, you already know the skeleton of the whole conjugation.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for ärgern. Learn the present tense first, then the Perfekt and the preterite, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present (Präsens)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | ärgere |
| du | ärgerst |
| er/sie/es | ärgert |
| wir | ärgern |
| ihr | ärgert |
| sie/Sie | ärgern |
The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Ich ärgere meine Schwester jeden Tag.” — “I annoy my sister every day.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | ärgerte |
| du | ärgertest |
| er/sie/es | ärgerte |
| wir | ärgerten |
| ihr | ärgertet |
| sie/Sie | ärgerten |
The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. For example: “Du ärgertest meine Schwester gestern.” — “You annoyed my sister yesterday.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe geärgert |
| du | hast geärgert |
| er/sie/es | hat geärgert |
| wir | haben geärgert |
| ihr | habt geärgert |
| sie/Sie | haben geärgert |
The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. For example: “Er hat meine Schwester geärgert gestern.” — “He has annoyed my sister yesterday.”
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hatte geärgert |
| du | hattest geärgert |
| er/sie/es | hatte geärgert |
| wir | hatten geärgert |
| ihr | hattet geärgert |
| sie/Sie | hatten geärgert |
The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Wir hatten meine Schwester geärgert vor der Party.” — “We had annoyed my sister before the party.”
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde ärgern |
| du | wirst ärgern |
| er/sie/es | wird ärgern |
| wir | werden ärgern |
| ihr | werdet ärgern |
| sie/Sie | werden ärgern |
The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Ich werde meine Schwester ärgern morgen.” — “I will annoy my sister tomorrow.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde geärgert haben |
| du | wirst geärgert haben |
| er/sie/es | wird geärgert haben |
| wir | werden geärgert haben |
| ihr | werdet geärgert haben |
| sie/Sie | werden geärgert haben |
The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Du wirst meine Schwester geärgert haben bis morgen.” — “You will have annoyed my sister by tomorrow.”
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | ärgere |
| du | ärgerest |
| er/sie/es | ärgere |
| wir | ärgern |
| ihr | ärgert |
| sie/Sie | ärgern |
Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech and indirect quotation. For example: “Es ist wichtig, dass er ärgere meine Schwester.” — “It is important that he annoy my sister.”
Konjunktiv II
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | ärgerte |
| du | ärgertest |
| er/sie/es | ärgerte |
| wir | ärgerten |
| ihr | ärgertet |
| sie/Sie | ärgerten |
Konjunktiv II is used for wishes, hypothetical situations and polite requests. It doubles as the conditional: there is no separate würde tense in the tables, and the periphrastic alternative with würde plus the infinitive is a way of expressing the same meaning, not a tense of its own. For example: “Ich ärgerte meine Schwester eines Tages.” — “I would annoy my sister one day.”
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hätte geärgert |
| du | hättest geärgert |
| er/sie/es | hätte geärgert |
| wir | hätten geärgert |
| ihr | hättet geärgert |
| sie/Sie | hätten geärgert |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er hätte meine Schwester geärgert gestern.” — “He would have annoyed my sister yesterday.”
Imperative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | ärger |
| wir | ärgern |
| ihr | ärgert |
| sie | ärgern |
The imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Ärger meine Schwester!” — “Annoy my sister!”
Present participle (Partizip I)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle | ärgernd |
The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective and for describing an action in progress. For example, the participle ärgernd describes something that is annoying. The present-tense sentence “Ich ärgere meinen Bruder jeden Tag.” — “I annoy my brother every day.” shows the same verb in action.
Past participle (Partizip II)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Past participle | geärgert |
The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich habe meinen Bruder geärgert gestern.” — “I have annoyed my brother yesterday.”
Infinitive
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | ärgern |
The infinitive is the dictionary form of the verb, used after modal verbs and in infinitive constructions. The infinitive ärgern is the form you look up in a dictionary. In a sentence it appears after a modal verb or with zu, and in the future it follows werden, as in “Ich werde meinen Bruder ärgern morgen.” — “I will annoy my brother tomorrow.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with ärgern, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich ärgere meinen Bruder jeden Tag.” — “I annoy my brother every day.”
- “Du ärgertest meine Schwester gestern.” — “You annoyed my sister yesterday.”
- “Er hat meinen Freund geärgert gestern.” — “He has annoyed my friend yesterday.”
- “Wir hatten meinen Bruder geärgert vor der Party.” — “We had annoyed my brother before the party.”
- “Ich werde meine Schwester ärgern morgen.” — “I will annoy my sister tomorrow.”
- “Du wirst meinen Freund geärgert haben bis morgen.” — “You will have annoyed my friend by tomorrow.”
- “Es ist wichtig, dass er ärgere meinen Bruder.” — “It is important that he annoy my brother.”
- “Ich ärgerte meine Schwester eines Tages.” — “I would annoy my sister one day.”
- “Er hätte meinen Freund geärgert gestern.” — “He would have annoyed my friend yesterday.”
- “Ärger meinen Bruder!” — “Annoy my brother!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich ärgern meinen Bruder.”
✓ Right: “Ich ärgere meinen Bruder.”
The infinitive ärgern never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form ärgere.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Ich ärgern meinen Bruder.”
✓ Right: “Ich ärgere meinen Bruder.”
ärgern is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with ärgere.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Ich ärgere meinen Bruder gestern.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe meinen Bruder geärgert gestern.”
The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt habe geärgert, not the present.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich ärgere meinen Bruder.”
✓ Right: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich ärgere meinen Bruder.”
After es ist wichtig, dass German needs Konjunktiv I, so use ärgere here, not the indicative ärgere.
5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich bin geärgert meinen Bruder.”
✓ Right: “habe geärgert meinen Bruder.”
The Perfekt of ärgern is formed with haben plus the past participle geärgert: the ich form is habe geärgert. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
6. Using the preterite for a daily habit
✗ Wrong: “Ich ärgerte meinen Bruder jeden Tag.”
✓ Right: “Ich ärgere meinen Bruder jeden Tag.”
The preterite ärgerte describes a past action. For something you do every day, use the present ärgere.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on ärgern. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the ich form of ärgern in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) ärgerst
- B) ärgert
- C) ärgern
- D) ärgere
What is the du form of ärgern in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) ärgertest
- B) ärgerte
- C) ärgerten
- D) ärgertet
What is the er/sie/es form of ärgern in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) habe geärgert
- B) hast geärgert
- C) haben geärgert
- D) hat geärgert
What is the wir form of ärgern in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) hatten geärgert
- B) hatte geärgert
- C) hattest geärgert
- D) hattet geärgert
What is the du form of ärgern in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) werden ärgern
- B) wirst ärgern
- C) werde ärgern
- D) wird ärgern
What is the ich form of ärgern in the Future perfect (Futur II)?
- A) wirst geärgert haben
- B) wird geärgert haben
- C) werden geärgert haben
- D) werde geärgert haben
What is the er/sie/es form of ärgern in the Konjunktiv I?
- A) ärgerest
- B) ärgern
- C) ärgert
- D) ärgere
What is the ich form of ärgern in the Konjunktiv II?
- A) ärgertest
- B) ärgerten
- C) ärgertet
- D) ärgerte
What is the present participle (Partizip I) of ärgern?
- A) ankommend
- B) abfahrend
- C) ärgernd
- D) wartend
What does ärgern mean in English?
- A) to annoy
- B) to wait
- C) to arrive
- D) to depart
Answer key
- D) ärgere — the ich form of ärgern in the Present (Präsens) is ärgere. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) ärgertest — the du form of ärgern in the Preterite (Präteritum) is ärgertest. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) hat geärgert — the er/sie/es form of ärgern in the Perfect (Perfekt) is hat geärgert. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) hatten geärgert — the wir form of ärgern in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is hatten geärgert. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) wirst ärgern — the du form of ärgern in the Future (Futur I) is wirst ärgern. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) werde geärgert haben — the ich form of ärgern in the Future perfect (Futur II) is werde geärgert haben. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) ärgere — the er/sie/es form of ärgern in the Konjunktiv I is ärgere. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) ärgerte — the ich form of ärgern in the Konjunktiv II is ärgerte. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) ärgernd — the present participle (Partizip I) of ärgern is ärgernd. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- A) to annoy — ärgern means “to annoy” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does ärgern mean in English?
ärgern means “to annoy”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is ärgern regular or irregular?
ärgern is regular: it follows the ordinary weak pattern in every tense. Partizip I is ärgernd and Partizip II is geärgert.
What are the participles of ärgern?
Partizip I is ärgernd — use it as an adjective. Partizip II is geärgert — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe geärgert.
Which auxiliary does ärgern take in the Perfekt?
ärgern takes haben in the Perfekt: the ich form is habe geärgert. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with haben plus the past participle geärgert.
How do I say “I annoy” in German?
Say “Ich ärgere meinen Bruder jeden Tag.” — “I annoy my brother every day.” The ich form of the present is ärgere, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of ärgern — every tense of ärgern in one place.
- Ärgern in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Ärgern examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Warten conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Ankommen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Abfahren conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- German verbs — the full hub of German conjugation pages.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — practise ärgern with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise ärgern with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise ärgern with the interactive tool.