Hassen in the Present (Präsens) Tense in German
Introduction
Hassen means “to hate”, and this page covers exactly one thing: hassen in the present tense. The present is the tense German speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for hassen, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about hassen in the present. For example: “Ich hasse Kälte im Winter.” — “I hate cold in winter.” Everything on this page uses the forms of hassen exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.
Hassen in the Present (Präsens) Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hasse |
| du | hasst |
| er/sie/es | hasst |
| wir | hassen |
| ihr | hasst |
| sie/Sie | hassen |
Present participle: hassend · Past participle: gehasst
The present participle is hassend, which you use as an adjective for an ongoing action. The past participle is gehasst, which you use with haben in the perfect tenses: the ich form of the Perfekt is habe gehasst, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how hassen is used.
How the present of hassen is formed
The present of hassen follows the regular weak pattern: take the stem and add the present endings, giving ich hasse, du hasst, er/sie/es hasst, wir hassen, ihr hasst, sie/Sie hassen. The wir and ihr forms are the ones learners most often get wrong, because they expect a change that is not there — learn the six forms as two groups, the singular forms and the plural forms, and the pattern becomes automatic. The stem never changes in the present for this verb, so the only work is the endings.
The present stem also feeds other tenses: the preterite and Konjunktiv II are built from the same stem family, so learning the present properly makes the rest of the conjugation easier. The participles hassend and gehasst belong to the same family of forms — learn them together with the present table and you will recognise hassen in every tense.
When to use the present of hassen
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use hassen in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. To hate cold in winter — the everyday use
The most everyday use of hassen is cold in winter. It covers the ordinary, everyday situations where this verb appears, at home and outside. Example: “Ich hasse Kälte im Winter.” — “I hate cold in winter.”
2. To hate noise in the morning — a second everyday use
Hassen also covers noise in the morning. This use is very common in everyday speech, and it is the one learners meet next after the first. Example: “Du hasst Lärm am Morgen.” — “You hate noise in the morning.”
3. To hate long waiting times — a third everyday use
In a third everyday situation, you use hassen for long waiting times. The same verb, the same present forms, a different situation — that is why the present is worth learning as a whole table rather than one form at a time. Example: “Er hasst lange Wartezeiten.” — “He hates long waiting times.”
4. Habits and routines
The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and hassen is no exception. Use time expressions such as jeden Tag, immer or jede Woche to make the routine explicit. Example: “Wir hassen Kälte im Winter.” — “We hate cold in winter.”
5. What is happening right now
The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. German often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with hassen in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Ihr hasst Lärm am Morgen.” — “You hate noise in the morning.”
Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the preterite describes a finished action in the past, while the present describes habits and facts that are true now. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as jeden Tag, while the preterite sentences use gestern. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.
Present (Präsens): “Ich hasse Kälte im Winter.” — “I hate cold in winter.”
Preterite: “Ich hasste Kälte im Winter.” — “I hated cold in winter.”
The present sentence is about the present moment or a routine; the preterite sentence is about one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present (Präsens): “Du hasst Lärm am Morgen.” — “You hate noise in the morning.”
Preterite: “Du hasstest Lärm am Morgen.” — “You hated noise in the morning.”
The present sentence is about the present moment or a routine; the preterite sentence is about one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present (Präsens): “Wir hassen lange Wartezeiten.” — “We hate long waiting times.”
Preterite: “Wir hassten lange Wartezeiten.” — “We hated long waiting times.”
The present sentence is about the present moment or a routine; the preterite sentence is about one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: hassen in the present
Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other words — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.
“Ich hasse Lärm am Morgen.” — “I hate noise in the morning.”
“Du hasst lange Wartezeiten.” — “You hate long waiting times.”
“Er hasst Kälte im Winter.” — “He hates cold in winter.”
“Wir hassen Lärm am Morgen.” — “We hate noise in the morning.”
“Ihr hasst lange Wartezeiten.” — “You hate long waiting times.”
“Sie hassen Kälte im Winter.” — “They hate cold in winter.”
“Ich hasse Lärm am Morgen.” — “I hate noise in the morning.”
“Du hasst lange Wartezeiten.” — “You hate long waiting times.”
Common mistakes with hassen in the present
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Ich hassen Kälte im Winter.” Right: “Ich hasse Kälte im Winter.” Why: The ich form is hasse, not hassen. Hassen belongs with sie. Mixing the two groups is the most common error with this verb.
Wrong: “Wir hassen Kälte im Winter.” Right: “Wir hassen Kälte im Winter.” Why: Wir keeps its own form: hassen, not hassen. Learn wir and ihr as a separate pair from the singular forms.
Wrong: “Ich hassen Kälte im Winter.” (infinitive with a subject) Right: “Ich hasse Kälte im Winter.” Why: The infinitive hassen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form hasse.
Wrong: “Ich hasse Kälte im Winter gestern.” (a finished past action) Right: “Ich habe Kälte im Winter gehasst.” Why: The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt habe gehasst, not the present hasse.
Quiz: hassen in the present
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.
What is the ich form of hassen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) hasse
- B) hasst
- C) hassen
- D) hasste
What is the du form of hassen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) hasstest
- B) hasst
- C) hasse
- D) hassen
What is the er/sie/es form of hassen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) hasste
- B) hasst
- C) hasse
- D) hassen
What is the wir form of hassen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) hasst
- B) hassten
- C) hassen
- D) hasse
What is the ihr form of hassen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) hasstet
- B) hasst
- C) hasse
- D) hassen
What is the sie/Sie form of hassen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) hasst
- B) hassten
- C) hassen
- D) hasse
7. What does hassen mean in English?
- A) to need
- B) to search
- C) to buy
- D) to hate
8. What is the past participle of hassen?
- A) gekauft
- B) gehasst
- C) gebraucht
- D) gesucht
Answer key
- A) hasse — The ich form of hassen in the Present (Präsens) is hasse.
- B) hasst — The du form of hassen in the Present (Präsens) is hasst.
- B) hasst — The er/sie/es form of hassen in the Present (Präsens) is hasst.
- C) hassen — The wir form of hassen in the Present (Präsens) is hassen.
- B) hasst — The ihr form of hassen in the Present (Präsens) is hasst.
- C) hassen — The sie/Sie form of hassen in the Present (Präsens) is hassen.
- D) to hate — hassen means “to hate”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
- B) gehasst — The past participle of hassen is gehasst; it is used with haben in the perfect tenses, while the present tense itself is formed from the stem plus the present endings.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present of hassen formed?
The present of hassen is regular: take the stem and add the present endings, giving ich hasse, du hasst, er hasst, wir hassen, ihr hasst, sie hassen.
When do I use the present of hassen?
Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now — for example, “Ich hasse Kälte im Winter.” — “I hate cold in winter.” For a finished past action, use the Perfekt instead.
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of hassen?
The present describes what is true now or happens regularly; the preterite describes one finished action in the past. Compare “Ich hasse Kälte im Winter.” with “Ich hasste Kälte im Winter.” — the first is now, the second is the past as a finished event.
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for hassen, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of hassen — every tense of hassen in one place.
- Hassen in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Hassen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Brauchen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Suchen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Kaufen 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.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise hassen with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise hassen with the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — practise hassen with the interactive tool.