Hoffen Conjugation in German

hoffen means “to hope” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 420 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You use it whenever you talk about hoping for good weather, 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 hoffen — 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 hoffe auf gutes Wetter jeden Tag.” — “I hope for good weather every day.”

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: hoffen
  • English: to hope
  • Verb type: Regular
  • Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
  • Pattern: weak
  • Separable: no
  • Participle I: hoffend
  • Past participle (Partizip II): gehofft
  • Auxiliary: haben (all perfect tenses are formed with haben + the past participle)

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for hoffen, 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 hoffen in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.

Three things to remember about hoffen

  1. 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.
  2. The perfect tenses use haben: the perfect is formed with haben in the present plus the past participle gehofft. 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.
  3. Partizip I is hoffend and Partizip II is gehofft: 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 hoffen. 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 hoffe
du hoffst
er/sie/es hofft
wir hoffen
ihr hofft
sie/Sie hoffen

The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Ich hoffe auf eine Antwort jeden Tag.” — “I hope for an answer every day.”

Preterite (Präteritum)

Person Form
ich hoffte
du hofftest
er/sie/es hoffte
wir hofften
ihr hofftet
sie/Sie hofften

The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. For example: “Du hofftest auf eine Antwort gestern.” — “You hoped for an answer yesterday.”

Perfect (Perfekt)

Person Form
ich habe gehofft
du hast gehofft
er/sie/es hat gehofft
wir haben gehofft
ihr habt gehofft
sie/Sie haben gehofft

The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. For example: “Er hat auf eine Antwort gehofft gestern.” — “He has hoped for an answer yesterday.”

Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)

Person Form
ich hatte gehofft
du hattest gehofft
er/sie/es hatte gehofft
wir hatten gehofft
ihr hattet gehofft
sie/Sie hatten gehofft

The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Wir hatten auf eine Antwort gehofft vor der Party.” — “We had hoped for an answer before the party.”

Future (Futur I)

Person Form
ich werde hoffen
du wirst hoffen
er/sie/es wird hoffen
wir werden hoffen
ihr werdet hoffen
sie/Sie werden hoffen

The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Ich werde auf eine Antwort hoffen morgen.” — “I will hope for an answer tomorrow.”

Future perfect (Futur II)

Person Form
ich werde gehofft haben
du wirst gehofft haben
er/sie/es wird gehofft haben
wir werden gehofft haben
ihr werdet gehofft haben
sie/Sie werden gehofft haben

The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Du wirst auf eine Antwort gehofft haben bis morgen.” — “You will have hoped for an answer by tomorrow.”

Konjunktiv I

Person Form
ich hoffe
du hoffest
er/sie/es hoffe
wir hoffen
ihr hoffet
sie/Sie hoffen

Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech and indirect quotation. For example: “Es ist wichtig, dass er hoffe auf eine Antwort.” — “It is important that he hope for an answer.”

Konjunktiv II

Person Form
ich hoffte
du hofftest
er/sie/es hoffte
wir hofften
ihr hofftet
sie/Sie hofften

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 hoffte auf eine Antwort eines Tages.” — “I would hope for an answer one day.”

Conditional perfect

Person Form
ich hätte gehofft
du hättest gehofft
er/sie/es hätte gehofft
wir hätten gehofft
ihr hättet gehofft
sie/Sie hätten gehofft

The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er hätte auf eine Antwort gehofft gestern.” — “He would have hoped for an answer yesterday.”

Imperative

Person Form
du hoff
wir hoffen
ihr hofft
sie hoffen

The imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Hoff auf eine Antwort!” — “Hope for an answer!”

Present participle (Partizip I)

Form German
Present participle hoffend

The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective and for describing an action in progress. For example, the participle hoffend describes something that is hoping. The present-tense sentence “Ich hoffe auf gutes Wetter jeden Tag.” — “I hope for good weather every day.” shows the same verb in action.

Past participle (Partizip II)

Form German
Past participle gehofft

The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich habe auf gutes Wetter gehofft gestern.” — “I have hoped for good weather yesterday.”

Infinitive

Form German
Infinitive hoffen

The infinitive is the dictionary form of the verb, used after modal verbs and in infinitive constructions. The infinitive hoffen 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 auf gutes Wetter hoffen morgen.” — “I will hope for good weather tomorrow.”

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with hoffen, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.

  1. “Ich hoffe auf gutes Wetter jeden Tag.” — “I hope for good weather every day.”
  2. “Du hofftest auf eine Antwort gestern.” — “You hoped for an answer yesterday.”
  3. “Er hat auf den Sommer gehofft gestern.” — “He has hoped for the summer yesterday.”
  4. “Wir hatten auf gutes Wetter gehofft vor der Party.” — “We had hoped for good weather before the party.”
  5. “Ich werde auf eine Antwort hoffen morgen.” — “I will hope for an answer tomorrow.”
  6. “Du wirst auf den Sommer gehofft haben bis morgen.” — “You will have hoped for the summer by tomorrow.”
  7. “Es ist wichtig, dass er hoffe auf gutes Wetter.” — “It is important that he hope for good weather.”
  8. “Ich hoffte auf eine Antwort eines Tages.” — “I would hope for an answer one day.”
  9. “Er hätte auf den Sommer gehofft gestern.” — “He would have hoped for the summer yesterday.”
  10. “Hoff auf gutes Wetter!” — “Hope for good weather!”

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Ich hoffen auf gutes Wetter.”

✓ Right: “Ich hoffe auf gutes Wetter.”

The infinitive hoffen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form hoffe.

2. Using the wrong person’s form

✗ Wrong: “Ich hoffen auf gutes Wetter.”

✓ Right: “Ich hoffe auf gutes Wetter.”

hoffen is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with hoffe.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Ich hoffe auf gutes Wetter gestern.”

✓ Right: “Ich habe auf gutes Wetter gehofft gestern.”

The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt habe gehofft, not the present.

4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

✗ Wrong: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich hoffe auf gutes Wetter.”

✓ Right: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich hoffe auf gutes Wetter.”

After es ist wichtig, dass German needs Konjunktiv I, so use hoffe here, not the indicative hoffe.

5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt

✗ Wrong: “Ich bin gehofft auf gutes Wetter.”

✓ Right: “habe gehofft auf gutes Wetter.”

The Perfekt of hoffen is formed with haben plus the past participle gehofft: the ich form is habe gehofft. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.

6. Using the preterite for a daily habit

✗ Wrong: “Ich hoffte auf gutes Wetter jeden Tag.”

✓ Right: “Ich hoffe auf gutes Wetter jeden Tag.”

The preterite hoffte describes a past action. For something you do every day, use the present hoffe.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on hoffen. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. What is the ich form of hoffen in the Present (Präsens)?

    • A) hoffe
    • B) hoffst
    • C) hofft
    • D) hoffen

  2. What is the du form of hoffen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?

    • A) hofftet
    • B) hofftest
    • C) hoffte
    • D) hofften

  3. What is the er/sie/es form of hoffen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?

    • A) hat gehofft
    • B) habe gehofft
    • C) hast gehofft
    • D) haben gehofft

  4. What is the wir form of hoffen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?

    • A) hattet gehofft
    • B) hatten gehofft
    • C) hatte gehofft
    • D) hattest gehofft

  5. What is the du form of hoffen in the Future (Futur I)?

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

  6. What is the ich form of hoffen in the Future perfect (Futur II)?

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

  7. What is the er/sie/es form of hoffen in the Konjunktiv I?

    • A) hoffe
    • B) hoffest
    • C) hoffen
    • D) hoffet

  8. What is the ich form of hoffen in the Konjunktiv II?

    • A) hoffte
    • B) hofftest
    • C) hofften
    • D) hofftet

  9. What is the present participle (Partizip I) of hoffen?

    • A) fürchtend
    • B) sorgend
    • C) hoffend
    • D) wünschend

  10. What does hoffen mean in English?

  • A) to worry
  • B) to hope
  • C) to wish
  • D) to fear

Answer key

  1. A) hoffe — the ich form of hoffen in the Present (Präsens) is hoffe. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. B) hofftest — the du form of hoffen in the Preterite (Präteritum) is hofftest. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. A) hat gehofft — the er/sie/es form of hoffen in the Perfect (Perfekt) is hat gehofft. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. B) hatten gehofft — the wir form of hoffen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is hatten gehofft. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) wirst hoffen — the du form of hoffen in the Future (Futur I) is wirst hoffen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. A) werde gehofft haben — the ich form of hoffen in the Future perfect (Futur II) is werde gehofft haben. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. A) hoffe — the er/sie/es form of hoffen in the Konjunktiv I is hoffe. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) hoffte — the ich form of hoffen in the Konjunktiv II is hoffte. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. C) hoffend — the present participle (Partizip I) of hoffen is hoffend. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
  10. B) to hope — hoffen means “to hope” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.

Frequently asked questions

What does hoffen mean in English?

hoffen means “to hope”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.

Is hoffen regular or irregular?

hoffen is regular: it follows the ordinary weak pattern in every tense. Partizip I is hoffend and Partizip II is gehofft.

What are the participles of hoffen?

Partizip I is hoffend — use it as an adjective. Partizip II is gehofft — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe gehofft.

Which auxiliary does hoffen take in the Perfekt?

hoffen takes haben in the Perfekt: the ich form is habe gehofft. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with haben plus the past participle gehofft.

How do I say “I hope” in German?

Say “Ich hoffe auf gutes Wetter jeden Tag.” — “I hope for good weather every day.” The ich form of the present is hoffe, and it is the form you will use most often.

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