Bekommen Perfekt Tense Conjugation in German
The Perfekt of bekommen — “to get” — 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 bekommen, so once you know the participle you can build every person. This page gives you the complete Perfekt table for bekommen, 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 ein Geschenk zum Geburtstag bekommen.” — “I have got a present for my birthday.”
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for bekommen, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Perfekt Tense conjugation of bekommen
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for bekommen. The Perfekt is a compound tense: haben in the present + the past participle bekommen. The participle never changes in the table below — the tables give the single uninflected participle form, and the auxiliary carries the person.
Perfect (Perfekt) — bekommen
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe bekommen |
| du | hast bekommen |
| er/sie/es | hat bekommen |
| wir | haben bekommen |
| ihr | habt bekommen |
| sie/Sie | haben bekommen |
The present participle of bekommen is bekommend and the past participle is bekommen. You need the participle for the perfect tenses, and the present participle for adjectival use.
How the Perfekt of bekommen is formed
Take the present tense of the auxiliary haben and add the past participle bekommen: ich → habe bekommen, du → hast bekommen, er/sie/es → hat bekommen, wir → haben bekommen, ihr → habt bekommen, sie/Sie → haben bekommen. So bekommen gives habe bekommen, hast bekommen, hat bekommen, haben bekommen, habt bekommen, haben bekommen. bekommen takes haben: it takes a direct object — the thing you get — so it is not a verb of motion or change of state. Verbs of motion and change of state take sein in the Perfekt; most other verbs, including bekommen, take haben. A note on the participle: bekommen is the only past participle for bekommen 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 bekommen
1. A finished event in the past
Use the Perfekt for a finished event in the past. For example, with bekommen: “Ich habe ein Geschenk zum Geburtstag bekommen.” — “I have got a present for my birthday.” 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 bekommen: “Du hast ein Geschenk zum Geburtstag bekommen.” — “You have got a present for my birthday.” 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 bekommen: “Er hat ein Geschenk zum Geburtstag bekommen.” — “He has got a present for my birthday.” 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 bekommen: “Wir haben ein Geschenk zum Geburtstag bekommen.” — “We have got a present for my birthday.” 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 bekommen: “Ihr habt ein Geschenk zum Geburtstag bekommen.” — “You have got a present for my birthday.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Perfekt vs Präteritum: bekommen 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 ein Geschenk zum Geburtstag bekommen.” — “I have got a present for my birthday.”
Präteritum (written): “Ich bekam ein Geschenk zum Geburtstag.” — “I got a present for my birthday.”
Perfekt (spoken): “Du hast ein Geschenk zum Geburtstag bekommen.” — “You have got a present for my birthday.”
Präteritum (written): “Du bekamst ein Geschenk zum Geburtstag.” — “You got a present for my birthday.”
Perfekt (spoken): “Wir haben ein Geschenk zum Geburtstag bekommen.” — “We have got a present for my birthday.”
Präteritum (written): “Wir bekamen ein Geschenk zum Geburtstag.” — “We got a present for my birthday.”
Example sentences: bekommen in the Perfekt
Six sentences using only the Perfekt of bekommen, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “Ich habe ein Geschenk zum Geburtstag bekommen.” — “I have got a present for my birthday.”
- “Du hast ein Geschenk zum Geburtstag bekommen.” — “You have got a present for my birthday.”
- “Er hat ein Geschenk zum Geburtstag bekommen.” — “He has got a present for my birthday.”
- “Wir haben ein Geschenk zum Geburtstag bekommen.” — “We have got a present for my birthday.”
- “Ihr habt ein Geschenk zum Geburtstag bekommen.” — “You have got a present for my birthday.”
- “Sie haben ein Geschenk zum Geburtstag bekommen.” — “They have got a present for my birthday.”
Common mistakes with bekommen in the Perfekt
1. Using the wrong auxiliary
✗ Wrong: “Ich bin ein Geschenk zum Geburtstag bekommen.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe ein Geschenk zum Geburtstag bekommen.”
With bekommen the Perfekt takes haben, not sein. The correct form is habe bekommen.
2. Using the present for a finished past event
✗ Wrong: “Ich bekomme ein Geschenk zum Geburtstag.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe ein Geschenk zum Geburtstag bekommen.”
Yesterday’s finished event needs the Perfekt (habe bekommen), not the present.
3. Using the Präteritum for a single finished event in speech
✗ Wrong: “Ich bekam ein Geschenk zum Geburtstag.” (in conversation)
✓ Right: “Ich habe ein Geschenk zum Geburtstag bekommen.”
In spoken German a single finished event yesterday takes the Perfekt. The Präteritum belongs in written narration.
4. Guessing a regular participle
✗ Wrong: “Ich habe ein Geschenk zum Geburtstag gebekommt.” (a guessed regular participle)
✓ Right: “Ich habe ein Geschenk zum Geburtstag bekommen.”
bekommen is a strong verb: its participle is bekommen, not the regular ge- + stem + -t form.
Quiz: bekommen in the Perfekt
What is the ich form of bekommen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) hat bekommen
- B) habt bekommen
- C) haben bekommen
- D) habe bekommen
What is the du form of bekommen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) hat bekommen
- B) hast bekommen
- C) haben bekommen
- D) habt bekommen
What is the er/sie/es form of bekommen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) habt bekommen
- B) haben bekommen
- C) habe bekommen
- D) hat bekommen
What is the wir form of bekommen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) habe bekommen
- B) hat bekommen
- C) haben bekommen
- D) habt bekommen
What is the ihr form of bekommen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) haben bekommen
- B) hast bekommen
- C) habt bekommen
- D) hat bekommen
What is the sie/Sie form of bekommen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) hast bekommen
- B) habe bekommen
- C) habt bekommen
- D) haben bekommen
What is the past participle of bekommen?
- A) bekommend
- B) bekommen
- C) bekam
- D) bekomme
Which auxiliary does bekommen take in the Perfekt?
- A) sein
- B) haben
- C) werden
Answer key
- D) habe bekommen — the ich form of bekommen in the Perfekt is habe bekommen.
- B) hast bekommen — the du form of bekommen in the Perfekt is hast bekommen.
- D) hat bekommen — the er/sie/es form of bekommen in the Perfekt is hat bekommen.
- C) haben bekommen — the wir form of bekommen in the Perfekt is haben bekommen.
- C) habt bekommen — the ihr form of bekommen in the Perfekt is habt bekommen.
- D) haben bekommen — the sie/Sie form of bekommen in the Perfekt is haben bekommen.
- B) bekommen — the past participle of bekommen is bekommen; the Perfekt uses haben + bekommen.
- B) haben — bekommen takes haben in the Perfekt: habe bekommen.
Frequently asked questions
How is the Perfekt of bekommen formed?
With haben in the present + the past participle bekommen: ich → habe bekommen, du → hast bekommen, er/sie/es → hat bekommen. The full table is above, and the German Perfekt tense guide explains the pattern for all verbs.
Is bekommen regular in the Perfekt?
Yes — bekommen 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 bekommen?
The past participle is bekommen. Use it with haben for the Perfekt, as in habe bekommen, and with haben in the past for the Plusquamperfekt, as in hatte bekommen.
Related pages
- bekommen conjugation — the full conjugation tables for this verb in every tense.
- bekommen 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 bekommen with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise bekommen with the interactive tool.
- Perfect Tenses Builder — practise the perfect tenses with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.