Brauchen Conjugation in German
brauchen means “to need” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 68 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You will meet it in everyday sentences such as “Ich brauche einen neuen Mantel.” — “I need a new coat.” — 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 brauchen — every tense, every person, the present participle and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: brauchen
- English: to need
- Verb type: Regular
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Present participle (Partizip I): brauchend
- Past participle (Partizip II): gebraucht
- Auxiliary: haben (all perfect tenses are formed with haben + the past participle)
- Pattern: weak in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for brauchen, 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 brauchen in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about brauchen
- 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 Perfekt is formed with haben in the present plus the past participle gebraucht. The tables on this page give the participle in the form exactly as it appears in the verified dump; the participle itself does not change for person, only the auxiliary does.
- The participles are brauchend and gebraucht: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because the present participle appears as an adjective and the past participle 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 brauchen. 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 | brauche |
| du | brauchst |
| er/sie/es | braucht |
| wir | brauchen |
| ihr | braucht |
| sie/Sie | brauchen |
The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Ich brauche mehr Zeit für die Arbeit.” — “I need more time for work.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | brauchte |
| du | brauchtest |
| er/sie/es | brauchte |
| wir | brauchten |
| ihr | brauchtet |
| sie/Sie | brauchten |
The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. For example: “Du brauchtest mehr Zeit für die Arbeit.” — “You needed more time for work.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe gebraucht |
| du | hast gebraucht |
| er/sie/es | hat gebraucht |
| wir | haben gebraucht |
| ihr | habt gebraucht |
| sie/Sie | haben gebraucht |
The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. For example: “Er hat mehr Zeit für die Arbeit gebraucht.” — “He has needed more time for work.”
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hatte gebraucht |
| du | hattest gebraucht |
| er/sie/es | hatte gebraucht |
| wir | hatten gebraucht |
| ihr | hattet gebraucht |
| sie/Sie | hatten gebraucht |
The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Ich hatte mehr Zeit für die Arbeit gebraucht.” — “I had needed more time for work.”
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde brauchen |
| du | wirst brauchen |
| er/sie/es | wird brauchen |
| wir | werden brauchen |
| ihr | werdet brauchen |
| sie/Sie | werden brauchen |
The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for intentions. For example: “Ich werde mehr Zeit für die Arbeit brauchen.” — “I will need more time for work.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde gebraucht haben |
| du | wirst gebraucht haben |
| er/sie/es | wird gebraucht haben |
| wir | werden gebraucht haben |
| ihr | werdet gebraucht haben |
| sie/Sie | werden gebraucht haben |
The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Du wirst mehr Zeit für die Arbeit gebraucht haben.” — “You will have needed more time for work.”
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | brauche |
| du | brauchest |
| er/sie/es | brauche |
| wir | brauchen |
| ihr | brauchet |
| sie/Sie | brauchen |
Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech — reporting what someone else said — and in formal written German. For example: “Er brauche mehr Zeit für die Arbeit.” — “He needs more time for work.”
Konjunktiv II (conditional)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | brauchte |
| du | brauchtest |
| er/sie/es | brauchte |
| wir | brauchten |
| ihr | brauchtet |
| sie/Sie | brauchten |
Konjunktiv II is used for hypothetical situations, wishes and polite requests. It doubles as the German conditional: there is no separate conditional tense, and the periphrastic alternative with würde + infinitive is not an engine tense. For example: “Ich brauchte mehr Zeit für die Arbeit.” — “I would need more time for work.”
Conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + participle)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hätte gebraucht |
| du | hättest gebraucht |
| er/sie/es | hätte gebraucht |
| wir | hätten gebraucht |
| ihr | hättet gebraucht |
| sie/Sie | hätten gebraucht |
The conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + past participle) is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er hätte mehr Zeit für die Arbeit gebraucht.” — “He would have needed more time for work.”
Imperative (Imperativ)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | brauch |
| wir | brauchen |
| ihr | braucht |
| sie/Sie | brauchen |
The imperative (Imperativ) is used for direct commands, requests and instructions. For example: “Brauch mehr Zeit für die Arbeit!” — “Need more time for work!”
Present participle (Partizip I)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle (Partizip I) | brauchend |
The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective or adverb, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle brauchend is used to describe something that is happening at the same time as the main action, much like an English -ing adjective.
Past participle (Partizip II)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Past participle (Partizip II) | gebraucht |
The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich habe einen neuen Mantel gebraucht.” — “I have needed a new coat.”
Infinitive (Infinitiv)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | brauchen |
The infinitive is the dictionary form of the verb, used after modal verbs and other verbs that take an infinitive. The infinitive is the dictionary form of the verb: it is the form you look up, and the form that follows modal verbs and other verbs that take an infinitive.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with brauchen, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich brauche einen neuen Mantel.” — “I need a new coat.”
- “Du brauchtest mehr Zeit für die Arbeit.” — “You needed more time for work.”
- “Er hat einen Stift für die Schule gebraucht.” — “He has needed a pen for school.”
- “Ich werde einen neuen Mantel brauchen.” — “I will need a new coat.”
- “Du brauchtest mehr Zeit für die Arbeit.” — “You would need more time for work.”
- “Ich hatte einen Stift für die Schule gebraucht.” — “I had needed a pen for school.”
- “Du wirst mehr Zeit für die Arbeit gebraucht haben.” — “You will have needed more time for work.”
- “Er brauche einen Stift für die Schule.” — “He needs a pen for school.”
- “Ich hätte einen neuen Mantel gebraucht.” — “I would have needed a new coat.”
- “Brauch einen neuen Mantel!” — “Need a new coat!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich brauchen einen neuen Mantel.”
✓ Right: “Ich brauche einen neuen Mantel.”
The infinitive brauchen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form brauche.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Ich brauchen einen neuen Mantel.”
✓ Right: “Ich brauche einen neuen Mantel.”
brauchen is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with brauche.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Ich brauche einen neuen Mantel gestern.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe einen neuen Mantel gebraucht.”
The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt habe gebraucht, not the present.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich bin einen neuen Mantel gebraucht.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe einen neuen Mantel gebraucht.”
The Perfekt of brauchen is formed with haben plus the past participle gebraucht: the ich form is habe gebraucht. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
5. Using the preterite where spoken German prefers the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich brauchte einen neuen Mantel gestern.” (in everyday speech)
✓ Right: “Ich habe einen neuen Mantel gebraucht.”
In everyday spoken German the Perfekt habe gebraucht is the usual past tense. The preterite brauchte is correct in writing and in stories, but it sounds formal in conversation.
6. Using the du form when talking to a group
✗ Wrong: “Brauch einen neuen Mantel!” (said to several people)
✓ Right: “Braucht einen neuen Mantel!”
The du imperative brauch is for one person you know well. For a group, use the ihr form braucht.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on brauchen. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the ich form of brauchen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) braucht
- B) brauchen
- C) brauche
- D) brauchst
What is the er/sie/es form of brauchen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) brauchten
- B) brauchtet
- C) brauchte
- D) brauchtest
What is the er/sie/es form of brauchen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) hast gebraucht
- B) haben gebraucht
- C) hat gebraucht
- D) habe gebraucht
What is the du form of brauchen in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) werde brauchen
- B) wird brauchen
- C) werden brauchen
- D) wirst brauchen
What is the ich form of brauchen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional)?
- A) brauchten
- B) brauchtet
- C) brauchte
- D) brauchtest
What is the wir form of brauchen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) hatte gebraucht
- B) hattest gebraucht
- C) hattet gebraucht
- D) hatten gebraucht
What is the er/sie/es form of brauchen in the Konjunktiv I?
- A) brauchen
- B) brauchet
- C) brauche
- D) brauchest
What is the du form of brauchen in the Imperative (Imperativ)?
- A) brauchen
- B) braucht
- C) brauchst
- D) brauch
What is the past participle of brauchen?
- A) gesucht
- B) gekauft
- C) verkauft
- D) gebraucht
What does brauchen mean in English?
- A) to sell
- B) to need
- C) to search
- D) to buy
Answer key
- C) brauche — the ich form of brauchen in the Present (Präsens) is brauche. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) brauchte — the er/sie/es form of brauchen in the Preterite (Präteritum) is brauchte. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) hat gebraucht — the er/sie/es form of brauchen in the Perfect (Perfekt) is hat gebraucht. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) wirst brauchen — the du form of brauchen in the Future (Futur I) is wirst brauchen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) brauchte — the ich form of brauchen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional) is brauchte. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) hatten gebraucht — the wir form of brauchen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is hatten gebraucht. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) brauche — the er/sie/es form of brauchen in the Konjunktiv I is brauche. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) brauch — the du form of brauchen in the Imperative (Imperativ) is brauch. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) gebraucht — the past participle of brauchen is gebraucht; it is used with haben in the perfect tenses. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- B) to need — brauchen means “to need” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does brauchen mean in English?
brauchen means “to need”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is brauchen regular or irregular?
brauchen is regular: it follows the ordinary weak pattern in every tense. The present participle is brauchend and the past participle is gebraucht.
What are the participles of brauchen?
The present participle (Partizip I) is brauchend — use it as an adjective for an ongoing action. The past participle (Partizip II) is gebraucht — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe gebraucht.
Which auxiliary does brauchen take in the Perfekt?
brauchen takes haben in the Perfekt: the ich form is habe gebraucht. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with haben plus the past participle gebraucht.
Does German have a separate conditional tense?
No. Konjunktiv II doubles as the conditional: the ich form brauchte is the form you use for “would” meanings, and the periphrastic alternative with würde + infinitive is not a separate engine tense. The conditional perfect hätte gebraucht covers “would have” meanings.
How do I say “I need a new coat” in German?
Say “Ich brauche einen neuen Mantel.” — “I need a new coat.” The ich form of the present is brauche, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of brauchen — every tense of brauchen in one place.
- Brauchen in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Brauchen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Suchen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Kaufen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Verkaufen 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 brauchen with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise brauchen with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise brauchen with the interactive tool.