Essen Conjugation in German
essen means “to eat” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 28 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You will meet it in everyday sentences such as “Ich esse einen Apfel am Morgen.” — “I eat an apple in the morning.” — 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 essen — every tense, every person, the present participle and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: essen
- English: to eat
- Verb type: Irregular
- Irregular in: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative
- Present participle (Partizip I): essend
- Past participle (Partizip II): gegessen
- Auxiliary: haben (all perfect tenses are formed with haben + the past participle)
- Pattern: strong in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for essen, 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 essen in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about essen
- It is irregular in 4 tense(s): present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. 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 gegessen. 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 essend and gegessen: 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 essen. 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 | esse |
| du | isst |
| er/sie/es | isst |
| wir | essen |
| ihr | esst |
| sie/Sie | essen |
The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With essen 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 esse im Restaurant mit Marie.” — “I eat at a restaurant with Marie.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | aß |
| du | aßt |
| er/sie/es | aß |
| wir | aßen |
| ihr | aßt |
| sie/Sie | aßen |
The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. With essen 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 aßt im Restaurant mit Marie.” — “You ate at a restaurant with Marie.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe gegessen |
| du | hast gegessen |
| er/sie/es | hat gegessen |
| wir | haben gegessen |
| ihr | habt gegessen |
| sie/Sie | haben gegessen |
The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. For example: “Er hat im Restaurant mit Marie gegessen.” — “He has eaten at a restaurant with Marie.”
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hatte gegessen |
| du | hattest gegessen |
| er/sie/es | hatte gegessen |
| wir | hatten gegessen |
| ihr | hattet gegessen |
| sie/Sie | hatten gegessen |
The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Ich hatte im Restaurant mit Marie gegessen.” — “I had eaten at a restaurant with Marie.”
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde essen |
| du | wirst essen |
| er/sie/es | wird essen |
| wir | werden essen |
| ihr | werdet essen |
| sie/Sie | werden essen |
The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for intentions. For example: “Ich werde im Restaurant mit Marie essen.” — “I will eat at a restaurant with Marie.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde gegessen haben |
| du | wirst gegessen haben |
| er/sie/es | wird gegessen haben |
| wir | werden gegessen haben |
| ihr | werdet gegessen haben |
| sie/Sie | werden gegessen haben |
The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Du wirst im Restaurant mit Marie gegessen haben.” — “You will have eaten at a restaurant with Marie.”
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | esse |
| du | essest |
| er/sie/es | esse |
| wir | essen |
| ihr | esset |
| sie/Sie | essen |
Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech — reporting what someone else said — and in formal written German. For example: “Er esse im Restaurant mit Marie.” — “He eats at a restaurant with Marie.”
Konjunktiv II (conditional)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | äße |
| du | äßest |
| er/sie/es | äße |
| wir | äßen |
| ihr | äßet |
| sie/Sie | äßen |
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 äße im Restaurant mit Marie.” — “I would eat at a restaurant with Marie.”
Conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + participle)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hätte gegessen |
| du | hättest gegessen |
| er/sie/es | hätte gegessen |
| wir | hätten gegessen |
| ihr | hättet gegessen |
| sie/Sie | hätten gegessen |
The conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + past participle) is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er hätte im Restaurant mit Marie gegessen.” — “He would have eaten at a restaurant with Marie.”
Imperative (Imperativ)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | iss |
| wir | essen |
| ihr | esst |
| sie/Sie | essen |
The imperative (Imperativ) is used for direct commands, requests and instructions. With essen 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: “Iss im Restaurant mit Marie!” — “Eat at a restaurant with Marie!”
Present participle (Partizip I)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle (Partizip I) | essend |
The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective or adverb, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle essend 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) | gegessen |
The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich habe einen Apfel am Morgen gegessen.” — “I have eaten an apple in the morning.”
Infinitive (Infinitiv)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | essen |
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 essen, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich esse einen Apfel am Morgen.” — “I eat an apple in the morning.”
- “Du aßt im Restaurant mit Marie.” — “You ate at a restaurant with Marie.”
- “Er hat Brot und Käse gegessen.” — “He has eaten bread and cheese.”
- “Ich werde einen Apfel am Morgen essen.” — “I will eat an apple in the morning.”
- “Du äßest im Restaurant mit Marie.” — “You would eat at a restaurant with Marie.”
- “Ich hatte Brot und Käse gegessen.” — “I had eaten bread and cheese.”
- “Du wirst im Restaurant mit Marie gegessen haben.” — “You will have eaten at a restaurant with Marie.”
- “Er esse Brot und Käse.” — “He eats bread and cheese.”
- “Ich hätte einen Apfel am Morgen gegessen.” — “I would have eaten an apple in the morning.”
- “Iss einen Apfel am Morgen!” — “Eat an apple in the morning!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich essen einen Apfel am Morgen.”
✓ Right: “Ich esse einen Apfel am Morgen.”
The infinitive essen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form esse.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Ich essen einen Apfel am Morgen.”
✓ Right: “Ich esse einen Apfel am Morgen.”
essen is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with esse.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Ich esse einen Apfel am Morgen gestern.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe einen Apfel am Morgen gegessen.”
The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt habe gegessen, not the present.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich bin einen Apfel am Morgen gegessen.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe einen Apfel am Morgen gegessen.”
The Perfekt of essen is formed with haben plus the past participle gegessen: the ich form is habe gegessen. 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 aß einen Apfel am Morgen gestern.” (in everyday speech)
✓ Right: “Ich habe einen Apfel am Morgen gegessen.”
In everyday spoken German the Perfekt habe gegessen is the usual past tense. The preterite aß is correct in writing and in stories, but it sounds formal in conversation.
6. Using the du form when talking to a group
✗ Wrong: “Iss einen Apfel am Morgen!” (said to several people)
✓ Right: “Esst einen Apfel am Morgen!”
The du imperative iss is for one person you know well. For a group, use the ihr form esst.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on essen. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the ich form of essen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) esse
- B) isst
- C) essen
- D) esst
What is the er/sie/es form of essen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) aß
- B) aßt
- C) aßen
- D) isst
What is the er/sie/es form of essen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) hast gegessen
- B) haben gegessen
- C) hat gegessen
- D) habe gegessen
What is the du form of essen in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) werden essen
- B) wirst essen
- C) werde essen
- D) wird essen
What is the ich form of essen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional)?
- A) äße
- B) äßest
- C) äßen
- D) äßet
What is the wir form of essen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) hatte gegessen
- B) hattest gegessen
- C) hattet gegessen
- D) hatten gegessen
What is the er/sie/es form of essen in the Konjunktiv I?
- A) esse
- B) essest
- C) essen
- D) esset
What is the du form of essen in the Imperative (Imperativ)?
- A) isst
- B) iss
- C) essen
- D) esst
What is the past participle of essen?
- A) getrunken
- B) geschlafen
- C) aufgestanden
- D) gegessen
What does essen mean in English?
- A) to drink
- B) to sleep
- C) to get up
- D) to eat
Answer key
- A) esse — the ich form of essen in the Present (Präsens) is esse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) aß — the er/sie/es form of essen in the Preterite (Präteritum) is aß. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) hat gegessen — the er/sie/es form of essen in the Perfect (Perfekt) is hat gegessen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) wirst essen — the du form of essen in the Future (Futur I) is wirst essen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) äße — the ich form of essen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional) is äße. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) hatten gegessen — the wir form of essen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is hatten gegessen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) esse — the er/sie/es form of essen in the Konjunktiv I is esse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) iss — the du form of essen in the Imperative (Imperativ) is iss. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) gegessen — the past participle of essen is gegessen; it is used with haben in the perfect tenses. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- D) to eat — essen means “to eat” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does essen mean in English?
essen means “to eat”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is essen regular or irregular?
essen is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. The present participle is essend and the past participle is gegessen.
What are the participles of essen?
The present participle (Partizip I) is essend — use it as an adjective for an ongoing action. The past participle (Partizip II) is gegessen — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe gegessen.
Which auxiliary does essen take in the Perfekt?
essen takes haben in the Perfekt: the ich form is habe gegessen. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with haben plus the past participle gegessen.
Does German have a separate conditional tense?
No. Konjunktiv II doubles as the conditional: the ich form äße 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 gegessen covers “would have” meanings.
How do I say “I eat an apple in the morning” in German?
Say “Ich esse einen Apfel am Morgen.” — “I eat an apple in the morning.” The ich form of the present is esse, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of essen — every tense of essen in one place.
- Essen in the Perfekt tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Essen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Trinken conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Schlafen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Aufstehen 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 essen with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise essen with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise essen with the interactive tool.