Fliegen Conjugation in German
fliegen means “to fly” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 71 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You use it whenever you talk about flying to Berlin, 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 fliegen — every tense, every person, both participles and the infinitive — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Ich fliege nach Berlin jeden Tag.” — “I fly to Berlin every day.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: fliegen
- English: to fly
- Verb type: Irregular
- Irregular in: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative
- Pattern: strong
- Separable: no
- Participle I: fliegend
- Past participle (Partizip II): geflogen
- Auxiliary: sein (all perfect tenses are formed with sein + the past participle)
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for fliegen, 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 fliegen in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about fliegen
- 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 sein: the perfect is formed with sein in the present plus the past participle geflogen. The tables on this page give the participle in the uninflected form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.
- Partizip I is fliegend and Partizip II is geflogen: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because Partizip I appears in adjectival uses and Partizip II 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 fliegen. 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 | fliege |
| du | fliegst |
| er/sie/es | fliegt |
| wir | fliegen |
| ihr | fliegt |
| sie/Sie | fliegen |
The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With fliegen 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 fliege nach Paris jeden Tag.” — “I fly to Paris every day.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | flog |
| du | flogst |
| er/sie/es | flog |
| wir | flogen |
| ihr | flogt |
| sie/Sie | flogen |
The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. With fliegen 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 flogst nach Paris gestern.” — “You flew to Paris yesterday.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | bin geflogen |
| du | bist geflogen |
| er/sie/es | ist geflogen |
| wir | sind geflogen |
| ihr | seid geflogen |
| sie/Sie | sind geflogen |
The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. For example: “Er ist nach Paris geflogen gestern.” — “He has flown to Paris yesterday.”
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | war geflogen |
| du | warst geflogen |
| er/sie/es | war geflogen |
| wir | waren geflogen |
| ihr | wart geflogen |
| sie/Sie | waren geflogen |
The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Wir waren nach Paris geflogen vor der Party.” — “We had flown to Paris before the party.”
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde fliegen |
| du | wirst fliegen |
| er/sie/es | wird fliegen |
| wir | werden fliegen |
| ihr | werdet fliegen |
| sie/Sie | werden fliegen |
The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Ich werde nach Paris fliegen morgen.” — “I will fly to Paris tomorrow.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde geflogen sein |
| du | wirst geflogen sein |
| er/sie/es | wird geflogen sein |
| wir | werden geflogen sein |
| ihr | werdet geflogen sein |
| sie/Sie | werden geflogen sein |
The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Du wirst nach Paris geflogen sein bis morgen.” — “You will have flown to Paris by tomorrow.”
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | fliege |
| du | fliegest |
| er/sie/es | fliege |
| wir | fliegen |
| ihr | flieget |
| sie/Sie | fliegen |
Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech and indirect quotation. For example: “Es ist wichtig, dass er fliege nach Paris.” — “It is important that he fly to Paris.”
Konjunktiv II
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | flöge |
| du | flögest |
| er/sie/es | flöge |
| wir | flögen |
| ihr | flöget |
| sie/Sie | flögen |
Konjunktiv II is used for wishes, hypothetical situations and polite requests. It doubles as the conditional: there is no separate würde tense in the tables, and the periphrastic alternative with würde plus the infinitive is a way of expressing the same meaning, not a tense of its own. For example: “Ich flöge nach Paris eines Tages.” — “I would fly to Paris one day.”
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | wäre geflogen |
| du | wärst geflogen |
| er/sie/es | wäre geflogen |
| wir | wären geflogen |
| ihr | wärt geflogen |
| sie/Sie | wären geflogen |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er wäre nach Paris geflogen gestern.” — “He would have flown to Paris yesterday.”
Imperative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | flieg |
| wir | fliegen |
| ihr | fliegt |
| sie | fliegen |
The imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. With fliegen 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: “Flieg nach Paris!” — “Fly to Paris!”
Present participle (Partizip I)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle | fliegend |
The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective and for describing an action in progress. For example, the participle fliegend describes something that is flying. The present-tense sentence “Ich fliege nach Berlin jeden Tag.” — “I fly to Berlin every day.” shows the same verb in action.
Past participle (Partizip II)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Past participle | geflogen |
The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich bin nach Berlin geflogen gestern.” — “I have flown to Berlin yesterday.”
Infinitive
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | fliegen |
The infinitive is the dictionary form of the verb, used after modal verbs and in infinitive constructions. The infinitive fliegen is the form you look up in a dictionary. In a sentence it appears after a modal verb or with zu, and in the future it follows werden, as in “Ich werde nach Berlin fliegen morgen.” — “I will fly to Berlin tomorrow.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with fliegen, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich fliege nach Berlin jeden Tag.” — “I fly to Berlin every day.”
- “Du flogst nach Paris gestern.” — “You flew to Paris yesterday.”
- “Er ist in den Urlaub geflogen gestern.” — “He has flown on holiday yesterday.”
- “Wir waren nach Berlin geflogen vor der Party.” — “We had flown to Berlin before the party.”
- “Ich werde nach Paris fliegen morgen.” — “I will fly to Paris tomorrow.”
- “Du wirst in den Urlaub geflogen sein bis morgen.” — “You will have flown on holiday by tomorrow.”
- “Es ist wichtig, dass er fliege nach Berlin.” — “It is important that he fly to Berlin.”
- “Ich flöge nach Paris eines Tages.” — “I would fly to Paris one day.”
- “Er wäre in den Urlaub geflogen gestern.” — “He would have flown on holiday yesterday.”
- “Flieg nach Berlin!” — “Fly to Berlin!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich fliegen nach Berlin.”
✓ Right: “Ich fliege nach Berlin.”
The infinitive fliegen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form fliege.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Ich fliegen nach Berlin.”
✓ Right: “Ich fliege nach Berlin.”
fliegen is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with fliege.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Ich fliege nach Berlin gestern.”
✓ Right: “Ich bin nach Berlin geflogen gestern.”
The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt bin geflogen, not the present.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich fliege nach Berlin.”
✓ Right: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich fliege nach Berlin.”
After es ist wichtig, dass German needs Konjunktiv I, so use fliege here, not the indicative fliege.
5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich habe geflogen nach Berlin.”
✓ Right: “bin geflogen nach Berlin.”
The Perfekt of fliegen is formed with sein plus the past participle geflogen: the ich form is bin geflogen. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
6. Using the preterite for a daily habit
✗ Wrong: “Ich flog nach Berlin jeden Tag.”
✓ Right: “Ich fliege nach Berlin jeden Tag.”
The preterite flog describes a past action. For something you do every day, use the present fliege.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on fliegen. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the ich form of fliegen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) fliege
- B) fliegst
- C) fliegt
- D) fliegen
What is the du form of fliegen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) flogt
- B) flogst
- C) flog
- D) flogen
What is the er/sie/es form of fliegen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) sind geflogen
- B) ist geflogen
- C) bin geflogen
- D) bist geflogen
What is the wir form of fliegen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) waren geflogen
- B) war geflogen
- C) warst geflogen
- D) wart geflogen
What is the du form of fliegen in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) werden fliegen
- B) wirst fliegen
- C) werde fliegen
- D) wird fliegen
What is the ich form of fliegen in the Future perfect (Futur II)?
- A) wirst geflogen sein
- B) wird geflogen sein
- C) werden geflogen sein
- D) werde geflogen sein
What is the er/sie/es form of fliegen in the Konjunktiv I?
- A) fliege
- B) fliegest
- C) fliegen
- D) flieget
What is the ich form of fliegen in the Konjunktiv II?
- A) flöge
- B) flögest
- C) flögen
- D) flöget
What is the present participle (Partizip I) of fliegen?
- A) singend
- B) kochend
- C) fliegend
- D) tanzend
What does fliegen mean in English?
- A) to sing
- B) to cook
- C) to fly
- D) to dance
Answer key
- A) fliege — the ich form of fliegen in the Present (Präsens) is fliege. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) flogst — the du form of fliegen in the Preterite (Präteritum) is flogst. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) ist geflogen — the er/sie/es form of fliegen in the Perfect (Perfekt) is ist geflogen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) waren geflogen — the wir form of fliegen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is waren geflogen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) wirst fliegen — the du form of fliegen in the Future (Futur I) is wirst fliegen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) werde geflogen sein — the ich form of fliegen in the Future perfect (Futur II) is werde geflogen sein. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) fliege — the er/sie/es form of fliegen in the Konjunktiv I is fliege. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) flöge — the ich form of fliegen in the Konjunktiv II is flöge. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) fliegend — the present participle (Partizip I) of fliegen is fliegend. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- C) to fly — fliegen means “to fly” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does fliegen mean in English?
fliegen means “to fly”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is fliegen regular or irregular?
fliegen is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. Partizip I is fliegend and Partizip II is geflogen.
What are the participles of fliegen?
Partizip I is fliegend — use it as an adjective. Partizip II is geflogen — use it with sein for the perfect tenses, as in bin geflogen.
Which auxiliary does fliegen take in the Perfekt?
fliegen takes sein in the Perfekt: the ich form is bin geflogen. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with sein plus the past participle geflogen.
How do I say “I fly” in German?
Say “Ich fliege nach Berlin jeden Tag.” — “I fly to Berlin every day.” The ich form of the present is fliege, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of fliegen — every tense of fliegen in one place.
- Fliegen in the Perfekt tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Fliegen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Tanzen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Singen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Kochen 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 fliegen with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise fliegen with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise fliegen with the interactive tool.