Drücken Present Tense Conjugation in German

The present tense of drücken — “to press, to push” — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. This page gives you the complete present tense table for drücken, 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 drücke den Knopf an der Tür.” — “I press the button on the door.”

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

Present Tense conjugation of drücken

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for drücken. drücken is a regular weak verb, so you can build the present tense from the regular endings once you know the stem.

Present (Präsens) — drücken

Person Form
ich drücke
du drückst
er/sie/es drückt
wir drücken
ihr drückt
sie/Sie drücken

The present participle of drücken is drückend and the past participle is gedrückt. You need the participle for the perfect tenses, and the present participle for adjectival use.

How the present tense of drücken is formed

For a regular weak verb, the present tense is built on the stem drück- (the infinitive drücken without its -en ending) plus the present tense endings: ich → drücke, du → drückst, er/sie/es → drückt, wir → drücken, ihr → drückt, sie/Sie → drücken. So drücken gives drücke, drückst, drückt, drücken, drückt, drücken.

When to use the present tense of drücken

1. Habits and routines

Use the present tense for habits and routines. For example, with drücken: “Ich drücke den Knopf an der Tür.” — “I press the button on the door.” 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 drücken: “Du drückst den Knopf an der Tür.” — “You press the button on the door.” 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 drücken: “Er drückt den Knopf an der Tür.” — “He presses the button on the door.” 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 drücken: “Wir drücken den Knopf an der Tür.” — “We press the button on the door.” 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 drücken: “Sie drücken den Knopf an der Tür.” — “They press the button on the door.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

Present vs future: drücken now, drücken 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 drücke den Knopf an der Tür.” — “I press the button on the door.”

  • Future: “Ich werde den Knopf an der Tür drücken.” — “I will press the button on the door.”

  • Present: “Du drückst den Knopf an der Tür.” — “You press the button on the door.”

  • Future: “Du wirst den Knopf an der Tür drücken.” — “You will press the button on the door.”

  • Present: “Wir drücken den Knopf an der Tür.” — “We press the button on the door.”

  • Future: “Wir werden den Knopf an der Tür drücken.” — “We will press the button on the door.”

Example sentences: drücken in the present tense

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

  • “Ich drücke den Knopf an der Tür.” — “I press the button on the door.”
  • “Du drückst den Knopf an der Tür.” — “You press the button on the door.”
  • “Er drückt den Knopf an der Tür.” — “He presses the button on the door.”
  • “Wir drücken den Knopf an der Tür.” — “We press the button on the door.”
  • “Ihr drückt den Knopf an der Tür.” — “You press the button on the door.”
  • “Sie drücken den Knopf an der Tür.” — “They press the button on the door.”

Common mistakes with drücken in the present tense

1. Using the infinitive instead of the present

✗ Wrong: “Ich drücken den Knopf an der Tür.”

✓ Right: “Ich drücke den Knopf an der Tür.”

The infinitive never takes a subject; use the conjugated form drücke.

2. Mixing up the persons

✗ Wrong: “Du drücke den Knopf an der Tür.”

✓ Right: “Du drückst den Knopf an der Tür.”

After du you need drückst, not the ich form drücke. Each person has its own ending.

3. Using the future for a habit

✗ Wrong: “Ich werde den Knopf an der Tür drücken.”

✓ Right: “Ich drücke den Knopf an der Tür.”

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

4. Using the Präteritum for something happening now

✗ Wrong: “Ich drückte den Knopf an der Tür.”

✓ Right: “Ich drücke den Knopf an der Tür.”

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

Quiz: drücken in the present tense

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

    • A) drückst
    • B) drückt
    • C) drücke
    • D) drücken

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

    • A) drückt
    • B) drücke
    • C) drückst
    • D) drücken

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

    • A) drücken
    • B) drückt
    • C) drückst
    • D) drücke

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

    • A) drücke
    • B) drückt
    • C) drücken
    • D) drückst

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

    • A) drückst
    • B) drücke
    • C) drückt
    • D) drücken

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

    • A) drückt
    • B) drücke
    • C) drückst
    • D) drücken

  7. What is the past participle of drücken?

    • A) drücke
    • B) gedrückt
    • C) drückend
    • D) drückte

  8. Which auxiliary does drücken take in the Perfekt?

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

Answer key

  1. C) drücke — the ich form of drücken in the present tense is drücke.
  2. C) drückst — the du form of drücken in the present tense is drückst.
  3. B) drückt — the er/sie/es form of drücken in the present tense is drückt.
  4. C) drücken — the wir form of drücken in the present tense is drücken.
  5. C) drückt — the ihr form of drücken in the present tense is drückt.
  6. D) drücken — the sie/Sie form of drücken in the present tense is drücken.
  7. B) gedrückt — the past participle of drücken is gedrückt; the Perfekt uses haben + gedrückt.
  8. A) haben — drücken takes haben in the Perfekt: habe gedrückt.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present tense of drücken formed?

From the stem plus the present endings: ich → drücke, du → drückst, er/sie/es → drückt, wir → drücken, ihr → drückt, sie/Sie → drücken. The German present tense guide explains the pattern for all verbs.

Is drücken regular in the present tense?

Yes — drücken is regular in the present tense: 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 drücken?

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

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