Fragen Conjugation in German
fragen means “to ask” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 49 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You will meet it in everyday sentences such as “Ich frage den Lehrer nach dem Weg.” — “I ask the teacher for the way.” — 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 fragen — every tense, every person, the present participle and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: fragen
- English: to ask
- Verb type: Regular
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Present participle (Partizip I): fragend
- Past participle (Partizip II): gefragt
- 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 fragen, 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 fragen in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about fragen
- 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 gefragt. 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 fragend and gefragt: 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 fragen. 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 | frage |
| du | fragst |
| er/sie/es | fragt |
| wir | fragen |
| ihr | fragt |
| sie/Sie | fragen |
The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Ich frage Marie nach der Uhrzeit.” — “I ask Marie for the time.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | fragte |
| du | fragtest |
| er/sie/es | fragte |
| wir | fragten |
| ihr | fragtet |
| sie/Sie | fragten |
The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. For example: “Du fragtest Marie nach der Uhrzeit.” — “You asked Marie for the time.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe gefragt |
| du | hast gefragt |
| er/sie/es | hat gefragt |
| wir | haben gefragt |
| ihr | habt gefragt |
| sie/Sie | haben gefragt |
The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. For example: “Er hat Marie nach der Uhrzeit gefragt.” — “He has asked Marie for the time.”
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hatte gefragt |
| du | hattest gefragt |
| er/sie/es | hatte gefragt |
| wir | hatten gefragt |
| ihr | hattet gefragt |
| sie/Sie | hatten gefragt |
The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Ich hatte Marie nach der Uhrzeit gefragt.” — “I had asked Marie for the time.”
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde fragen |
| du | wirst fragen |
| er/sie/es | wird fragen |
| wir | werden fragen |
| ihr | werdet fragen |
| sie/Sie | werden fragen |
The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for intentions. For example: “Ich werde Marie nach der Uhrzeit fragen.” — “I will ask Marie for the time.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde gefragt haben |
| du | wirst gefragt haben |
| er/sie/es | wird gefragt haben |
| wir | werden gefragt haben |
| ihr | werdet gefragt haben |
| sie/Sie | werden gefragt haben |
The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Du wirst Marie nach der Uhrzeit gefragt haben.” — “You will have asked Marie for the time.”
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | frage |
| du | fragest |
| er/sie/es | frage |
| wir | fragen |
| ihr | fraget |
| sie/Sie | fragen |
Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech — reporting what someone else said — and in formal written German. For example: “Er frage Marie nach der Uhrzeit.” — “He asks Marie for the time.”
Konjunktiv II (conditional)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | fragte |
| du | fragtest |
| er/sie/es | fragte |
| wir | fragten |
| ihr | fragtet |
| sie/Sie | fragten |
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 fragte Marie nach der Uhrzeit.” — “I would ask Marie for the time.”
Conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + participle)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hätte gefragt |
| du | hättest gefragt |
| er/sie/es | hätte gefragt |
| wir | hätten gefragt |
| ihr | hättet gefragt |
| sie/Sie | hätten gefragt |
The conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + past participle) is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er hätte Marie nach der Uhrzeit gefragt.” — “He would have asked Marie for the time.”
Imperative (Imperativ)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | frag |
| wir | fragen |
| ihr | fragt |
| sie/Sie | fragen |
The imperative (Imperativ) is used for direct commands, requests and instructions. For example: “Frag Marie nach der Uhrzeit!” — “Ask Marie for the time!”
Present participle (Partizip I)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle (Partizip I) | fragend |
The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective or adverb, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle fragend 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) | gefragt |
The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich habe den Lehrer nach dem Weg gefragt.” — “I have asked the teacher for the way.”
Infinitive (Infinitiv)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | fragen |
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 fragen, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich frage den Lehrer nach dem Weg.” — “I ask the teacher for the way.”
- “Du fragtest Marie nach der Uhrzeit.” — “You asked Marie for the time.”
- “Er hat meinen Bruder um Hilfe gefragt.” — “He has asked my brother for help.”
- “Ich werde den Lehrer nach dem Weg fragen.” — “I will ask the teacher for the way.”
- “Du fragtest Marie nach der Uhrzeit.” — “You would ask Marie for the time.”
- “Ich hatte meinen Bruder um Hilfe gefragt.” — “I had asked my brother for help.”
- “Du wirst Marie nach der Uhrzeit gefragt haben.” — “You will have asked Marie for the time.”
- “Er frage meinen Bruder um Hilfe.” — “He asks my brother for help.”
- “Ich hätte den Lehrer nach dem Weg gefragt.” — “I would have asked the teacher for the way.”
- “Frag den Lehrer nach dem Weg!” — “Ask the teacher for the way!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich fragen den Lehrer nach dem Weg.”
✓ Right: “Ich frage den Lehrer nach dem Weg.”
The infinitive fragen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form frage.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Ich fragen den Lehrer nach dem Weg.”
✓ Right: “Ich frage den Lehrer nach dem Weg.”
fragen is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with frage.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Ich frage den Lehrer nach dem Weg gestern.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe den Lehrer nach dem Weg gefragt.”
The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt habe gefragt, not the present.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich bin den Lehrer nach dem Weg gefragt.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe den Lehrer nach dem Weg gefragt.”
The Perfekt of fragen is formed with haben plus the past participle gefragt: the ich form is habe gefragt. 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 fragte den Lehrer nach dem Weg gestern.” (in everyday speech)
✓ Right: “Ich habe den Lehrer nach dem Weg gefragt.”
In everyday spoken German the Perfekt habe gefragt is the usual past tense. The preterite fragte is correct in writing and in stories, but it sounds formal in conversation.
6. Using the du form when talking to a group
✗ Wrong: “Frag den Lehrer nach dem Weg!” (said to several people)
✓ Right: “Fragt den Lehrer nach dem Weg!”
The du imperative frag is for one person you know well. For a group, use the ihr form fragt.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on fragen. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the ich form of fragen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) fragst
- B) fragt
- C) fragen
- D) frage
What is the er/sie/es form of fragen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) fragtest
- B) fragten
- C) fragtet
- D) fragte
What is the er/sie/es form of fragen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) habe gefragt
- B) hast gefragt
- C) haben gefragt
- D) hat gefragt
What is the du form of fragen in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) wirst fragen
- B) werde fragen
- C) wird fragen
- D) werden fragen
What is the ich form of fragen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional)?
- A) fragtest
- B) fragten
- C) fragtet
- D) fragte
What is the wir form of fragen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) hatten gefragt
- B) hatte gefragt
- C) hattest gefragt
- D) hattet gefragt
What is the er/sie/es form of fragen in the Konjunktiv I?
- A) fragest
- B) fragen
- C) fraget
- D) frage
What is the du form of fragen in the Imperative (Imperativ)?
- A) frag
- B) fragen
- C) fragt
- D) fragst
What is the past participle of fragen?
- A) gefragt
- B) geantwortet
- C) geholfen
- D) gelernt
What does fragen mean in English?
- A) to help
- B) to learn
- C) to ask
- D) to answer
Answer key
- D) frage — the ich form of fragen in the Present (Präsens) is frage. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) fragte — the er/sie/es form of fragen in the Preterite (Präteritum) is fragte. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) hat gefragt — the er/sie/es form of fragen in the Perfect (Perfekt) is hat gefragt. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) wirst fragen — the du form of fragen in the Future (Futur I) is wirst fragen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) fragte — the ich form of fragen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional) is fragte. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) hatten gefragt — the wir form of fragen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is hatten gefragt. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) frage — the er/sie/es form of fragen in the Konjunktiv I is frage. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) frag — the du form of fragen in the Imperative (Imperativ) is frag. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) gefragt — the past participle of fragen is gefragt; it is used with haben in the perfect tenses. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- C) to ask — fragen means “to ask” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does fragen mean in English?
fragen means “to ask”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is fragen regular or irregular?
fragen is regular: it follows the ordinary weak pattern in every tense. The present participle is fragend and the past participle is gefragt.
What are the participles of fragen?
The present participle (Partizip I) is fragend — use it as an adjective for an ongoing action. The past participle (Partizip II) is gefragt — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe gefragt.
Which auxiliary does fragen take in the Perfekt?
fragen takes haben in the Perfekt: the ich form is habe gefragt. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with haben plus the past participle gefragt.
Does German have a separate conditional tense?
No. Konjunktiv II doubles as the conditional: the ich form fragte 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 gefragt covers “would have” meanings.
How do I say “I ask the teacher for the way” in German?
Say “Ich frage den Lehrer nach dem Weg.” — “I ask the teacher for the way.” The ich form of the present is frage, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of fragen — every tense of fragen in one place.
- Fragen in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Fragen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Antworten conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Helfen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Lernen 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 fragen with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise fragen with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise fragen with the interactive tool.