Geben Conjugation in German
geben means “to give” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 15 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You will meet it in everyday sentences such as “Ich gebe ein Buch an Marie.” — “I give a book to Marie.” — 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 geben — every tense, every person, the present participle and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: geben
- English: to give
- Verb type: Irregular
- Irregular in: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative
- Present participle (Partizip I): gebend
- Past participle (Partizip II): gegeben
- 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 geben, 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 geben in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about geben
- 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 gegeben. 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 gebend and gegeben: 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 geben. 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 | gebe |
| du | gibst |
| er/sie/es | gibt |
| wir | geben |
| ihr | gebt |
| sie/Sie | geben |
The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With geben 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 gebe meinem Bruder Geld.” — “I give my brother some money.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | gab |
| du | gabst |
| er/sie/es | gab |
| wir | gaben |
| ihr | gabt |
| sie/Sie | gaben |
The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. With geben 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 gabst meinem Bruder Geld.” — “You gave my brother some money.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe gegeben |
| du | hast gegeben |
| er/sie/es | hat gegeben |
| wir | haben gegeben |
| ihr | habt gegeben |
| sie/Sie | haben gegeben |
The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. For example: “Er hat meinem Bruder Geld gegeben.” — “He has given my brother some money.”
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hatte gegeben |
| du | hattest gegeben |
| er/sie/es | hatte gegeben |
| wir | hatten gegeben |
| ihr | hattet gegeben |
| sie/Sie | hatten gegeben |
The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Ich hatte meinem Bruder Geld gegeben.” — “I had given my brother some money.”
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde geben |
| du | wirst geben |
| er/sie/es | wird geben |
| wir | werden geben |
| ihr | werdet geben |
| sie/Sie | werden geben |
The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for intentions. For example: “Ich werde meinem Bruder Geld geben.” — “I will give my brother some money.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde gegeben haben |
| du | wirst gegeben haben |
| er/sie/es | wird gegeben haben |
| wir | werden gegeben haben |
| ihr | werdet gegeben haben |
| sie/Sie | werden gegeben haben |
The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Du wirst meinem Bruder Geld gegeben haben.” — “You will have given my brother some money.”
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | gebe |
| du | gebest |
| er/sie/es | gebe |
| wir | geben |
| ihr | gebet |
| sie/Sie | geben |
Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech — reporting what someone else said — and in formal written German. For example: “Er gebe meinem Bruder Geld.” — “He gives my brother some money.”
Konjunktiv II (conditional)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | gäbe |
| du | gäbest |
| er/sie/es | gäbe |
| wir | gäben |
| ihr | gäbet |
| sie/Sie | gäben |
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 gäbe meinem Bruder Geld.” — “I would give my brother some money.”
Conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + participle)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hätte gegeben |
| du | hättest gegeben |
| er/sie/es | hätte gegeben |
| wir | hätten gegeben |
| ihr | hättet gegeben |
| sie/Sie | hätten gegeben |
The conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + past participle) is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er hätte meinem Bruder Geld gegeben.” — “He would have given my brother some money.”
Imperative (Imperativ)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | gib |
| wir | geben |
| ihr | gebt |
| sie/Sie | geben |
The imperative (Imperativ) is used for direct commands, requests and instructions. With geben 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: “Gib meinem Bruder Geld!” — “Give my brother some money!”
Present participle (Partizip I)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle (Partizip I) | gebend |
The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective or adverb, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle gebend 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) | gegeben |
The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich habe ein Buch an Marie gegeben.” — “I have given a book to Marie.”
Infinitive (Infinitiv)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | geben |
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 geben, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich gebe ein Buch an Marie.” — “I give a book to Marie.”
- “Du gabst meinem Bruder Geld.” — “You gave my brother some money.”
- “Er hat meiner Mutter ein Geschenk gegeben.” — “He has given my mother a present.”
- “Ich werde ein Buch an Marie geben.” — “I will give a book to Marie.”
- “Du gäbest meinem Bruder Geld.” — “You would give my brother some money.”
- “Ich hatte meiner Mutter ein Geschenk gegeben.” — “I had given my mother a present.”
- “Du wirst meinem Bruder Geld gegeben haben.” — “You will have given my brother some money.”
- “Er gebe meiner Mutter ein Geschenk.” — “He gives my mother a present.”
- “Ich hätte ein Buch an Marie gegeben.” — “I would have given a book to Marie.”
- “Gib ein Buch an Marie!” — “Give a book to Marie!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich geben ein Buch an Marie.”
✓ Right: “Ich gebe ein Buch an Marie.”
The infinitive geben never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form gebe.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Ich geben ein Buch an Marie.”
✓ Right: “Ich gebe ein Buch an Marie.”
geben is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with gebe.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Ich gebe ein Buch an Marie gestern.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe ein Buch an Marie gegeben.”
The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt habe gegeben, not the present.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich bin ein Buch an Marie gegeben.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe ein Buch an Marie gegeben.”
The Perfekt of geben is formed with haben plus the past participle gegeben: the ich form is habe gegeben. 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 gab ein Buch an Marie gestern.” (in everyday speech)
✓ Right: “Ich habe ein Buch an Marie gegeben.”
In everyday spoken German the Perfekt habe gegeben is the usual past tense. The preterite gab is correct in writing and in stories, but it sounds formal in conversation.
6. Using the du form when talking to a group
✗ Wrong: “Gib ein Buch an Marie!” (said to several people)
✓ Right: “Gebt ein Buch an Marie!”
The du imperative gib is for one person you know well. For a group, use the ihr form gebt.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on geben. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the ich form of geben in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) geben
- B) gebe
- C) gibst
- D) gibt
What is the er/sie/es form of geben in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) gaben
- B) gabt
- C) gab
- D) gabst
What is the er/sie/es form of geben in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) hast gegeben
- B) haben gegeben
- C) hat gegeben
- D) habe gegeben
What is the du form of geben in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) wird geben
- B) werden geben
- C) wirst geben
- D) werde geben
What is the ich form of geben in the Konjunktiv II (conditional)?
- A) gäben
- B) gäbet
- C) gäbe
- D) gäbest
What is the wir form of geben in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) hatte gegeben
- B) hattest gegeben
- C) hattet gegeben
- D) hatten gegeben
What is the er/sie/es form of geben in the Konjunktiv I?
- A) gebet
- B) gebe
- C) gebest
- D) geben
What is the du form of geben in the Imperative (Imperativ)?
- A) gebt
- B) gibst
- C) gib
- D) geben
What is the past participle of geben?
- A) gesehen
- B) genommen
- C) gefunden
- D) gegeben
What does geben mean in English?
- A) to take
- B) to find
- C) to give
- D) to see
Answer key
- B) gebe — the ich form of geben in the Present (Präsens) is gebe. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) gab — the er/sie/es form of geben in the Preterite (Präteritum) is gab. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) hat gegeben — the er/sie/es form of geben in the Perfect (Perfekt) is hat gegeben. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) wirst geben — the du form of geben in the Future (Futur I) is wirst geben. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) gäbe — the ich form of geben in the Konjunktiv II (conditional) is gäbe. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) hatten gegeben — the wir form of geben in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is hatten gegeben. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) gebe — the er/sie/es form of geben in the Konjunktiv I is gebe. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) gib — the du form of geben in the Imperative (Imperativ) is gib. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) gegeben — the past participle of geben is gegeben; it is used with haben in the perfect tenses. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- C) to give — geben means “to give” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does geben mean in English?
geben means “to give”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is geben regular or irregular?
geben is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. The present participle is gebend and the past participle is gegeben.
What are the participles of geben?
The present participle (Partizip I) is gebend — use it as an adjective for an ongoing action. The past participle (Partizip II) is gegeben — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe gegeben.
Which auxiliary does geben take in the Perfekt?
geben takes haben in the Perfekt: the ich form is habe gegeben. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with haben plus the past participle gegeben.
Does German have a separate conditional tense?
No. Konjunktiv II doubles as the conditional: the ich form gäbe 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 gegeben covers “would have” meanings.
How do I say “I give a book to Marie” in German?
Say “Ich gebe ein Buch an Marie.” — “I give a book to Marie.” The ich form of the present is gebe, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of geben — every tense of geben in one place.
- Geben in the Perfekt tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Geben examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Sehen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Nehmen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Finden 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 geben with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise geben with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise geben with the interactive tool.