Complete List of German Irregular Verbs

German has a small set of truly irregular verbs, and they are the verbs you use most: sein, haben, werden, the six modal verbs, wissen and tun. That is the good news and the bad news at once — you cannot avoid them, but learning them pays off in almost every sentence you say. Beyond them, German has a much larger family of strong verbs: regular in their endings, but with a vowel change in the stem — geben becomes gab and gegeben, not *gebte and *gegebt. This page lists every irregular verb in VerbFlow’s verified tables — the 11 fully irregular verbs with their key forms, and every strong verb, grouped by the pattern that makes it irregular — with a one-line note on each and a link to its full conjugation page wherever one exists. Learn the groups, not the list: a verb that follows the same pattern as one you already know costs almost nothing to learn.

What makes a verb irregular?

A verb is irregular when at least one of its forms cannot be built by adding the regular endings to the stem. Some verbs break the rules in one tense only — backen is regular in the present apart from its vowel change, but its participle is gebacken. Some break them in several tenses — sein is irregular almost everywhere: bin, war, gewesen, sei, wäre. And the six modal verbs — können, müssen, sollen, wollen, dürfen, mögen — have their own pattern: the singular present loses the umlaut (ich kann, not *ich könne), the preterite takes -te on a changed stem (konnte), and there is no du imperative at all in the verified tables — the tables show — for the du imperative, never an invented form. The patterns below are the ones German grammars use to describe them, and the forms on this page come from VerbFlow’s verified tables.

A note on the conditional: German has no separate würde tense. Konjunktiv II doubles as the conditional — ich würde gehen is the periphrastic alternative you hear in speech, but the tables list the Konjunktiv II forms (ich ginge, ich käme) as the conditional forms. And a note on modal verbs in the Perfekt: the tables give the main-verb forms (ich habe gekonnt, ich habe gemusst). As auxiliaries with another infinitive, German uses the Ersatzinfinitiv instead (ich habe singen können, not *ich habe gesungen gekonnt) — that is a usage note, not a separate table.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for any German verb, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Fully irregular verbs (11 verbs)

The eleven verbs below have full tables in VerbFlow’s curated irregular list. Each entry shows the present ich form, the preterite ich form, the past participle and the Konjunktiv II ich form — the four forms that identify the verb — with a link to its full conjugation page where one exists.

  • sein — to be. totally irregular; auxiliary for motion / change of state The most irregular German verb: bin, war, gewesen, sei, wäre. Key forms: present bin, preterite war, participle gewesen, Konjunktiv II wäre, auxiliary sein.
  • haben — to have. totally irregular; default auxiliary Present hast/hat, preterite hatte, participle gehabt. Key forms: present habe, preterite hatte, participle gehabt, Konjunktiv II hätte, auxiliary haben.
  • werden — to become. totally irregular; auxiliary for Futur I / II Present wirst/wird, preterite wurde, participle geworden. Key forms: present werde, preterite wurde, participle geworden, Konjunktiv II würde, auxiliary sein.
  • können — to be able to. modal verb: singular stem without umlaut (kann) Present kann/können, preterite konnte, Konjunktiv II könnte. Key forms: present kann, preterite konnte, participle gekonnt, Konjunktiv II könnte, auxiliary haben.
  • müssen — to have to. modal verb: singular stem without umlaut (muss) Present muss/müssen, preterite musste, Konjunktiv II müsste. Key forms: present muss, preterite musste, participle gemusst, Konjunktiv II müsste, auxiliary haben.
  • sollen — should, to be supposed to. modal verb: singular stem without umlaut (soll) Present soll/sollen, preterite sollte (Konjunktiv II = sollte). Key forms: present soll, preterite sollte, participle gesollt, Konjunktiv II sollte, auxiliary haben.
  • wollen — to want. modal verb: singular stem without umlaut (will) Present will/wollen, preterite wollte (Konjunktiv II = wollte). Key forms: present will, preterite wollte, participle gewollt, Konjunktiv II wollte, auxiliary haben.
  • dürfen — to be allowed to. modal verb: singular stem without umlaut (darf) Present darf/dürfen, preterite durfte, Konjunktiv II dürfte. Key forms: present darf, preterite durfte, participle gedurft, Konjunktiv II dürfte, auxiliary haben.
  • mögen — to like. modal verb: singular stem without umlaut (mag) Present mag/mögen, preterite mochte, Konjunktiv II möchte. Key forms: present mag, preterite mochte, participle gemocht, Konjunktiv II möchte, auxiliary haben.
  • wissen — to know. modal-like: singular stem weiß, preterite wusste Present weiß/wissen, preterite wusste, Konjunktiv II wüsste. Key forms: present weiß, preterite wusste, participle gewusst, Konjunktiv II wüsste, auxiliary haben.
  • tun — to do. totally irregular: present tue, preterite tat Present tue/tust/tut, preterite tat, participle getan. Key forms: present tue, preterite tat, participle getan, Konjunktiv II täte, auxiliary haben. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)

Strong verbs with a vowel change in the present

Strong verbs change their stem vowel in the du and er/sie/es forms of the present, in the preterite, and in the past participle. The groups below are the German map verbs with that pattern, each linked to its full conjugation page. The change is shown as it appears in the tables — for example, a → ä means du fährst where the infinitive has fahren.

a → ä change

  • abfahren — to depart. Preterite fuhr ab, participle abgefahren, auxiliary sein.
  • anfangen — to start. Preterite fing an, participle angefangen, auxiliary haben.
  • backen — to bake. Preterite backte, participle gebacken, auxiliary haben.
  • einladen — to invite. Preterite lud ein, participle eingeladen, auxiliary haben.
  • einschlafen — to fall asleep. Preterite schlief ein, participle eingeschlafen, auxiliary sein.
  • empfangen — to receive. Preterite empfing, participle empfangen, auxiliary haben.
  • fahren — to drive. Preterite fuhr, participle gefahren, auxiliary sein.
  • lassen — to let, to leave. Preterite ließ, participle gelassen, auxiliary haben.
  • schlafen — to sleep. Preterite schlief, participle geschlafen, auxiliary haben.
  • sich waschen — to wash oneself. Preterite wusch mich, participle gewaschen, auxiliary haben.
  • tragen — to carry. Preterite trug, participle getragen, auxiliary haben.
  • wachsen — to grow. Preterite wuchs, participle gewachsen, auxiliary sein.
  • waschen — to wash. Preterite wusch, participle gewaschen, auxiliary haben.

au → äu change

  • laufen — to run. Preterite lief, participle gelaufen, auxiliary sein.

e → i change

  • angeben — to state. Preterite gab an, participle angegeben, auxiliary haben.
  • annehmen — to accept. Preterite nahm an, participle angenommen, auxiliary haben.
  • aufgeben — to give up. Preterite gab auf, participle aufgegeben, auxiliary haben.
  • ausgeben — to spend. Preterite gab aus, participle ausgegeben, auxiliary haben.
  • essen — to eat. Preterite aß, participle gegessen, auxiliary haben.
  • geben — to give. Preterite gab, participle gegeben, auxiliary haben.
  • helfen — to help. Preterite half, participle geholfen, auxiliary haben.
  • nehmen — to take. Preterite nahm, participle genommen, auxiliary haben.
  • sprechen — to speak. Preterite sprach, participle gesprochen, auxiliary haben.
  • sterben — to die. Preterite starb, participle gestorben, auxiliary sein.
  • treffen — to meet. Preterite traf, participle getroffen, auxiliary haben.
  • vergessen — to forget. Preterite vergaß, participle vergessen, auxiliary haben.

e → ie change

  • ansehen — to look at. Preterite sah an, participle angesehen, auxiliary haben.
  • aussehen — to look. Preterite sah aus, participle ausgesehen, auxiliary haben.
  • fernsehen — to watch TV. Preterite sah fern, participle ferngesehen, auxiliary haben.
  • lesen — to read. Preterite las, participle gelesen, auxiliary haben.
  • sehen — to see. Preterite sah, participle gesehen, auxiliary haben.

eie → ei change

  • schreien — to shout. Preterite schrie, participle geschrien, auxiliary haben.

Strong verbs without a present vowel change

These strong verbs keep the plain stem in the present, but change it in the preterite and the participle. Each entry is linked to its full conjugation page.

  • abschließen — to complete. Preterite schloss ab, participle abgeschlossen, auxiliary haben.
  • anbieten — to offer. Preterite bot an, participle angeboten, auxiliary haben.
  • ankommen — to arrive. Preterite kam an, participle angekommen, auxiliary sein.
  • anrufen — to phone. Preterite rief an, participle angerufen, auxiliary haben.
  • anziehen — to put on. Preterite zog an, participle angezogen, auxiliary haben.
  • aufstehen — to get up. Preterite stand auf, participle aufgestanden, auxiliary sein.
  • aussteigen — to get out. Preterite stieg aus, participle ausgestiegen, auxiliary sein.
  • ausziehen — to take off. Preterite zog aus, participle ausgezogen, auxiliary haben.
  • beginnen — to begin. Preterite begann, participle begonnen, auxiliary haben.
  • bekommen — to get. Preterite bekam, participle bekommen, auxiliary haben.
  • bleiben — to stay. Preterite blieb, participle geblieben, auxiliary sein.
  • bringen — to bring. Preterite brachte, participle gebracht, auxiliary haben.
  • denken — to think. Preterite dachte, participle gedacht, auxiliary haben.
  • einsteigen — to get in. Preterite stieg ein, participle eingestiegen, auxiliary sein.
  • entscheiden — to decide. Preterite entschied, participle entschieden, auxiliary haben.
  • finden — to find. Preterite fand, participle gefunden, auxiliary haben.
  • fliegen — to fly. Preterite flog, participle geflogen, auxiliary sein.
  • gehen — to go. Preterite ging, participle gegangen, auxiliary sein.
  • gewinnen — to win. Preterite gewann, participle gewonnen, auxiliary haben.
  • heißen — to be called. Preterite hieß, participle geheißen, auxiliary haben.
  • kennen — to know. Preterite kannte, participle gekannt, auxiliary haben.
  • kommen — to come. Preterite kam, participle gekommen, auxiliary sein.
  • liegen — to lie. Preterite lag, participle gelegen, auxiliary haben.
  • rennen — to run fast. Preterite rannte, participle gerannt, auxiliary sein.
  • schließen — to close. Preterite schloss, participle geschlossen, auxiliary haben.
  • schneiden — to cut. Preterite schnitt, participle geschnitten, auxiliary haben.
  • schreiben — to write. Preterite schrieb, participle geschrieben, auxiliary haben.
  • schwimmen — to swim. Preterite schwamm, participle geschwommen, auxiliary sein.
  • senden — to send. Preterite sandte, participle gesandt, auxiliary haben.
  • sich anziehen — to get dressed. Preterite zog mich an, participle angezogen, auxiliary haben.
  • sich ausziehen — to get undressed. Preterite zog mich aus, participle ausgezogen, auxiliary haben.
  • singen — to sing. Preterite sang, participle gesungen, auxiliary haben.
  • springen — to jump. Preterite sprang, participle gesprungen, auxiliary sein.
  • stehen — to stand. Preterite stand, participle gestanden, auxiliary haben.
  • trinken — to drink. Preterite trank, participle getrunken, auxiliary haben.
  • umsteigen — to change (trains, vehicles), to transfer. Preterite stieg um, participle umgestiegen, auxiliary sein.
  • verlieren — to lose. Preterite verlor, participle verloren, auxiliary haben.
  • verstehen — to understand. Preterite verstand, participle verstanden, auxiliary haben.
  • ziehen — to pull. Preterite zog, participle gezogen, auxiliary haben.

Other strong verbs (no full conjugation page yet)

The engine’s strong-verb table lists more strong verbs than the German map covers. The ones below have no full conjugation page on VerbFlow yet — their preterite and participle are given from the engine’s strong-verb table, and where a prefixed form of the verb does have a page, that page is linked instead.

  • beißen — to bite. Preterite biss, participle gebissen, auxiliary haben. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • bergen — to rescue. Preterite barg, participle geborgen, auxiliary haben, change e-i. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • betrügen — to cheat. Preterite betrog, participle betrogen, auxiliary haben. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • biegen — to bend. Preterite bog, participle gebogen, auxiliary haben. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • binden — to tie. Preterite band, participle gebunden, auxiliary haben. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • bitten — to ask (a favour). Preterite bat, participle gebeten, auxiliary haben, change e-i. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • blasen — to blow. Preterite blies, participle geblasen, auxiliary haben, change a-ä. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • brechen — to break. Preterite brach, participle gebrochen, auxiliary haben, change e-i. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • brennen — to burn. Preterite brannte, participle gebrannt, auxiliary haben. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • dringen. Preterite drang, participle gedrungen, auxiliary sein. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • empfehlen — to recommend. Preterite empfahl, participle empfohlen, auxiliary haben, change e-ie. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • erschrecken — to frighten. Preterite erschrak, participle erschrocken, auxiliary sein, change e-i. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • fallen — to fall. Preterite fiel, participle gefallen, auxiliary sein, change a-ä. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • fliehen — to flee. Preterite floh, participle geflohen, auxiliary sein. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • fließen — to flow. Preterite floss, participle geflossen, auxiliary sein. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • frieren — to freeze. Preterite fror, participle gefroren, auxiliary haben. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • gelingen — to succeed. Preterite gelang, participle gelungen, auxiliary sein. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • gelten — to be valid. Preterite galt, participle gegolten, auxiliary haben, change e-i. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • genießen — to enjoy. Preterite genoss, participle genossen, auxiliary haben. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • geschehen — to happen. Preterite geschah, participle geschehen, auxiliary sein, change e-ie. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • gießen — to water (plants). Preterite goss, participle gegossen, auxiliary haben. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • gleichen — to resemble. Preterite glich, participle geglichen, auxiliary haben. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • gleiten — to glide. Preterite glitt, participle geglitten, auxiliary sein. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • graben — to dig. Preterite grub, participle gegraben, auxiliary haben, change a-ä. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • greifen — to grab. Preterite griff, participle gegriffen, auxiliary haben. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • halten — to hold. Preterite hielt, participle gehalten, auxiliary haben, change a-ä. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • heben — to lift. Preterite hob, participle gehoben, auxiliary haben. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • hängen — to hang. Preterite hing, participle gehangen, auxiliary haben. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • klingen. Preterite klang, participle geklungen, auxiliary haben. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • leihen — to lend. Preterite lieh, participle geliehen, auxiliary haben. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • lügen — to lie. Preterite log, participle gelogen, auxiliary haben. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • messen — to measure. Preterite maß, participle gemessen, auxiliary haben, change e-i. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • nennen — to name. Preterite nannte, participle genannt, auxiliary haben. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • raten. Preterite riet, participle geraten, auxiliary haben, change a-ä. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • reiten — to ride. Preterite ritt, participle geritten, auxiliary sein. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • riechen — to smell. Preterite roch, participle gerochen, auxiliary haben. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • scheinen — to shine. Preterite schien, participle geschienen, auxiliary haben. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • schelten. Preterite schalt, participle gescholten, auxiliary haben, change e-i. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • schieben. Preterite schob, participle geschoben, auxiliary haben. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • schlagen — to hit. Preterite schlug, participle geschlagen, auxiliary haben, change a-ä. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • sinken — to sink. Preterite sank, participle gesunken, auxiliary sein. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • sitzen — to sit. Preterite saß, participle gesessen, auxiliary haben. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • streichen — to paint. Preterite strich, participle gestrichen, auxiliary haben. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • streiten — to argue. Preterite stritt, participle gestritten, auxiliary haben. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • treten. Preterite trat, participle getreten, auxiliary haben, change e-i. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • vermeiden — to avoid. Preterite vermied, participle vermieden, auxiliary haben. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • verschwinden — to disappear. Preterite verschwand, participle verschwunden, auxiliary sein. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • verzeihen — to forgive. Preterite verzieh, participle verziehen, auxiliary haben. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • weichen. Preterite wich, participle gewichen, auxiliary sein. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • weisen. Preterite wies, participle gewiesen, auxiliary haben. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • wenden — to turn. Preterite wandte, participle gewandt, auxiliary haben. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • werben. Preterite warb, participle geworben, auxiliary haben, change e-i. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • werfen — to throw. Preterite warf, participle geworfen, auxiliary haben, change e-i. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)
  • wiegen — to weigh. Preterite wog, participle gewogen, auxiliary haben. (Full conjugation page coming soon.)

How to learn the irregular verbs

Do not try to memorise the list from top to bottom. Work in groups of five, one pattern at a time, and always in sentences. Start with the three auxiliaries — sein, haben, werden — because they appear in almost every sentence, and they build the perfect tenses and the future for every other verb. Then take the six modal verbs together: kann, muss, soll, will, darf, mag in the present, konnte, musste, sollte, wollte, durfte, mochte in the preterite — one sound pattern, six verbs. Then the strong verbs, in their vowel-change families: e → i (sprechen, helfen, nehmen), e → ie (sehen, lesen), a → ä (fahren, tragen), au → äu (laufen). Say each set aloud in order — ich, du, er, wir, ihr, sie — three times, then write three sentences with the verb. Test yourself the next day before you learn the next group, and use the Irregular Verb Quiz and the Irregular Verb Finder to check what has stuck. A verb you can use in a sentence is learnt; a verb you can only recite is not.

Quiz: German irregular verbs

  1. What is the ich form of sein in the present tense?

    • A) ist
    • B) bist
    • C) bin
    • D) sind

  2. What is the ich form of haben in the preterite?

    • A) hast
    • B) hatte
    • C) hat
    • D) habe

  3. What is the ich form of werden in the present tense?

    • A) wird
    • B) wirst
    • C) werden
    • D) werde

  4. What is the ich form of können in the present tense?

    • A) kannst
    • B) können
    • C) kann
    • D) könnt

  5. What is the past participle of wissen?

    • A) gewusst
    • B) gewusstet
    • C) wusste
    • D) gewissen

  6. Which auxiliary does sterben take in the Perfekt?

    • A) haben
    • B) sein
    • C) werden

  7. What is the preterite ich form of geben?

    • A) gib
    • B) gebte
    • C) gegab
    • D) gab

  8. What is the past participle of sehen?

    • A) sieht
    • B) gesehen
    • C) geseht
    • D) sah

Answer key

  1. C) bin — the ich form of sein in the present is bin.
  2. B) hatte — the ich form of haben in the preterite is hatte.
  3. D) werde — the ich form of werden in the present is werde.
  4. C) kann — the ich form of können in the present is kann — the singular loses the umlaut.
  5. A) gewusst — the past participle of wissen is gewusst.
  6. B) sein — the ich form of sterben in the Perfekt is bin gestorben — it takes sein.
  7. D) gab — the ich form of geben in the preterite is gab.
  8. B) gesehen — the past participle of sehen is gesehen.

Frequently asked questions

How many irregular verbs are there in German?

It depends on how you count. VerbFlow’s verified tables list 11 fully irregular verbs — sein, haben, werden, the six modal verbs, wissen and tun — plus the strong verbs, which are regular in their endings but change their stem vowel. The important number is smaller: about twenty verbs cover almost all the irregular forms you will ever need.

Should I learn the irregular verbs first?

Learn the three auxiliaries first — sein, haben, werden — because they appear in almost every sentence and build the perfect tenses and the future. Then learn the regular patterns with verbs like machen, lernen and wohnen, and add the irregular groups one at a time: the modals, then the strong verbs by vowel-change family. The Verb Quiz lets you drill one group at a time.

Why do modal verbs have no du imperative?

Modal verbs are almost never used as direct commands on their own — you do not order someone to “be able to” something. The verified tables list no du imperative for können, müssen, sollen, wollen, dürfen or mögen, and this site shows — rather than inventing one.

What is the difference between the Präteritum and the Perfekt?

Both talk about the past. The Perfekt is the tense of spoken German — what you say in conversation. The Präteritum is the tense of written narration — stories, reports and formal writing. The forms are different, but the meaning is close; the German Perfekt tense guide and the German Präteritum tense guide explain both.

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