Dürfen Conjugation in German
dürfen means “to be allowed to” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 8 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You will meet it in everyday sentences such as “Ich darf hier bleiben.” — “I may stay here.” — 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 dürfen — every tense, every person, the present participle and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: dürfen
- English: to be allowed to
- Verb type: Irregular
- Irregular in: present, preterite, perfect, pluperfect, future, future-perfect, konjunktiv-1, konjunktiv-2, conditional-perfect, imperative, past-participle
- Present participle (Partizip I): dürfend
- Past participle (Partizip II): gedurft
- 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 dürfen, 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 dürfen in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about dürfen
- It is irregular in 11 tense(s): present, preterite, perfect, pluperfect, future, future-perfect, konjunktiv-1, konjunktiv-2, conditional-perfect, imperative, past-participle. Learn those forms as a set rather than guessing them from the infinitive, because the regular pattern will not produce them.
- The perfect tenses use haben: the Perfekt is formed with haben in the present plus the past participle gedurft. 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 dürfend and gedurft: 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.
- Modal verbs have no du-imperative: the verified tables give no du form for dürfen — the du cell is marked with a dash — so do not invent one. To give an instruction, use the present tense instead, for example “Du darfst hier bleiben.”
- Ersatzinfinitiv in the perfect: when dürfen stands with another verb in a perfect tense, the infinitive replaces the past participle — the Ersatzinfinitiv. The table below gives the main-verb perfect habe gedurft, but with a dependent infinitive you say “Ich habe hier bleiben dürfen.” — “I have been allowed to stay here.” This is a usage note, not a separate tense: the participle gedurft is still the form the table lists.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for dürfen. 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 | darf |
| du | darfst |
| er/sie/es | darf |
| wir | dürfen |
| ihr | dürft |
| sie/Sie | dürfen |
The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With dürfen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Ich darf morgen kommen.” — “I may come tomorrow.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | durfte |
| du | durftest |
| er/sie/es | durfte |
| wir | durften |
| ihr | durftet |
| sie/Sie | durften |
The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. With dürfen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Du durftest morgen kommen.” — “You was allowed to come tomorrow.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe gedurft |
| du | hast gedurft |
| er/sie/es | hat gedurft |
| wir | haben gedurft |
| ihr | habt gedurft |
| sie/Sie | haben gedurft |
The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. The table gives the main-verb perfect, built with haben plus the participle gedurft. When dürfen stands with a dependent infinitive, the Ersatzinfinitiv replaces the participle: “Ich habe hier bleiben dürfen.” — “I have been allowed to stay here.” For example, the ich form in the table is habe gedurft.
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hatte gedurft |
| du | hattest gedurft |
| er/sie/es | hatte gedurft |
| wir | hatten gedurft |
| ihr | hattet gedurft |
| sie/Sie | hatten gedurft |
The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. With dürfen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Ich hatte es gedurft.” — “I had been allowed to do it.”
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde dürfen |
| du | wirst dürfen |
| er/sie/es | wird dürfen |
| wir | werden dürfen |
| ihr | werdet dürfen |
| sie/Sie | werden dürfen |
The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for intentions. With dürfen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Ich werde es dürfen.” — “I will be allowed to do it.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde gedurft haben |
| du | wirst gedurft haben |
| er/sie/es | wird gedurft haben |
| wir | werden gedurft haben |
| ihr | werdet gedurft haben |
| sie/Sie | werden gedurft haben |
The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. With dürfen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Du wirst es gedurft haben.” — “You will have been allowed to do it.”
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | dürfe |
| du | dürfest |
| er/sie/es | dürfe |
| wir | dürfen |
| ihr | dürfet |
| sie/Sie | dürfen |
Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech — reporting what someone else said — and in formal written German. With dürfen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Er dürfe morgen kommen.” — “He may come tomorrow.”
Konjunktiv II (conditional)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | dürfte |
| du | dürftest |
| er/sie/es | dürfte |
| wir | dürften |
| ihr | dürftet |
| sie/Sie | dürften |
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. With dürfen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Ich dürfte morgen kommen.” — “I would be allowed to come tomorrow.”
Conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + participle)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hätte gedurft |
| du | hättest gedurft |
| er/sie/es | hätte gedurft |
| wir | hätten gedurft |
| ihr | hättet gedurft |
| sie/Sie | hätten gedurft |
The conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + past participle) is used for what would have happened in a different past. With dürfen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Er hätte es gedurft.” — “He would have been allowed to do it.”
Imperative (Imperativ)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | — |
| wir | dürfen |
| ihr | dürft |
| sie/Sie | dürfen |
The imperative (Imperativ) is used for direct commands, requests and instructions. The verified tables give no imperative form for dürfen in the du person — the cell is marked with a dash — because modal verbs have no du-imperative in the dump. Do not invent one: to give an instruction with dürfen, German speakers use the present tense instead, for example “Du darfst hier bleiben.” — “You may stay here.” The wir, ihr and sie forms in the table are given exactly as the dump lists them.
Present participle (Partizip I)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle (Partizip I) | dürfend |
The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective or adverb, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle dürfend 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) | gedurft |
The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich habe es gedurft.” — “I have been allowed to do it.”
Infinitive (Infinitiv)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | dürfen |
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 dürfen, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich darf hier bleiben.” — “I may stay here.”
- “Du durftest morgen kommen.” — “You was allowed to come tomorrow.”
- “Er hat es gedurft.” — “He has been allowed to do it.”
- “Ich werde es dürfen.” — “I will be allowed to do it.”
- “Du dürftest morgen kommen.” — “You would be allowed to come tomorrow.”
- “Ich hatte es gedurft.” — “I had been allowed to do it.”
- “Du wirst es gedurft haben.” — “You will have been allowed to do it.”
- “Er dürfe das Buch lesen.” — “He may read the book.”
- “Ich hätte es gedurft.” — “I would have been allowed to do it.”
- “Du darfst hier bleiben.” — “You may stay here.”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich dürfen hier bleiben.”
✓ Right: “Ich darf hier bleiben.”
The infinitive dürfen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form darf.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Ich dürfen hier bleiben.”
✓ Right: “Ich darf hier bleiben.”
dürfen is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with darf.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Ich darf hier bleiben gestern.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe es gedurft.”
The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt habe gedurft, not the present.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich bin hier bleiben gedurft.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe es gedurft.”
The Perfekt of dürfen is formed with haben plus the past participle gedurft: the ich form is habe gedurft. 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 durfte hier bleiben gestern.” (in everyday speech)
✓ Right: “Ich habe es gedurft.”
In everyday spoken German the Perfekt habe gedurft is the usual past tense. The preterite durfte is correct in writing and in stories, but it sounds formal in conversation.
6. Inventing a du-imperative for a modal verb
✗ Wrong: “Kann hier bleiben!” (invented du-imperative)
✓ Right: “Du darfst hier bleiben.”
Modal verbs have no du-imperative in the verified tables — the du cell is a dash, not a form. Use the present tense darfst to tell someone what they can or must do.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on dürfen. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the ich form of dürfen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) darfst
- B) dürfen
- C) dürft
- D) darf
What is the er/sie/es form of dürfen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) durften
- B) durftet
- C) durfte
- D) durftest
What is the er/sie/es form of dürfen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) hast gedurft
- B) haben gedurft
- C) hat gedurft
- D) habe gedurft
What is the du form of dürfen in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) wirst dürfen
- B) werde dürfen
- C) wird dürfen
- D) werden dürfen
What is the ich form of dürfen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional)?
- A) dürftest
- B) dürften
- C) dürftet
- D) dürfte
What is the wir form of dürfen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) hatte gedurft
- B) hattest gedurft
- C) hattet gedurft
- D) hatten gedurft
What is the er/sie/es form of dürfen in the Konjunktiv I?
- A) dürfest
- B) dürfen
- C) dürfet
- D) dürfe
What is the ihr form of dürfen in the Imperative (Imperativ)?
- A) dürft
- B) dürfen
- C) durftet
- D) habt gedurft
What is the past participle of dürfen?
- A) gemocht
- B) gewusst
- C) gegangen
- D) gedurft
What does dürfen mean in English?
- A) to like
- B) to know
- C) to go
- D) to be allowed to
Answer key
- D) darf — the ich form of dürfen in the Present (Präsens) is darf. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) durfte — the er/sie/es form of dürfen in the Preterite (Präteritum) is durfte. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) hat gedurft — the er/sie/es form of dürfen in the Perfect (Perfekt) is hat gedurft. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) wirst dürfen — the du form of dürfen in the Future (Futur I) is wirst dürfen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) dürfte — the ich form of dürfen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional) is dürfte. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) hatten gedurft — the wir form of dürfen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is hatten gedurft. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) dürfe — the er/sie/es form of dürfen in the Konjunktiv I is dürfe. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) dürft — the ihr form of dürfen in the Imperative (Imperativ) is dürft. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) gedurft — the past participle of dürfen is gedurft; it is used with haben in the perfect tenses. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- D) to be allowed to — dürfen means “to be allowed to” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does dürfen mean in English?
dürfen means “to be allowed to”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is dürfen regular or irregular?
dürfen is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, perfect, pluperfect, future, future-perfect, konjunktiv-1, konjunktiv-2, conditional-perfect, imperative, past-participle. The present participle is dürfend and the past participle is gedurft.
What are the participles of dürfen?
The present participle (Partizip I) is dürfend — use it as an adjective for an ongoing action. The past participle (Partizip II) is gedurft — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe gedurft.
Which auxiliary does dürfen take in the Perfekt?
dürfen takes haben in the Perfekt: the ich form is habe gedurft. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with haben plus the past participle gedurft.
Does German have a separate conditional tense?
No. Konjunktiv II doubles as the conditional: the ich form dürfte 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 gedurft covers “would have” meanings.
How do I say “I may stay here” in German?
Say “Ich darf hier bleiben.” — “I may stay here.” The ich form of the present is darf, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of dürfen — every tense of dürfen in one place.
- Dürfen in the Perfekt tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Dürfen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Mögen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Wissen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Gehen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- German irregular verbs — every common irregular German verb, grouped by pattern.
- 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 dürfen with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise dürfen with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise dürfen with the interactive tool.