Holen Conjugation in German
holen means “to fetch” in English, and it is a verb German learners meet early and use often. This page gives you the complete conjugation of holen — every tense, every person, the participles and the infinitive — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Ich hole die Post vom Briefkasten.” — “I fetch the post from the letter box.” Learning the forms on this page first, before you try to use the verb in conversation, saves you from guessing later: German endings change with the person and the tense, and holen is no exception. Work through the tables one tense at a time, say each form aloud, and then test yourself with the quiz at the end.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: holen
- English: to fetch
- Verb type: Weak verb
- Irregular in: — (regular in every tense)
- Present participle (Partizip I): holend
- Past participle (Partizip II): geholt
- Auxiliary: haben (all perfect tenses are formed with haben + the past participle)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for holen, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for holen. Learn the present tense first, then the Perfekt and the Präteritum, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present (Präsens)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hole |
| du | holst |
| er/sie/es | holt |
| wir | holen |
| ihr | holt |
| sie/Sie | holen |
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | holte |
| du | holtest |
| er/sie/es | holte |
| wir | holten |
| ihr | holtet |
| sie/Sie | holten |
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe geholt |
| du | hast geholt |
| er/sie/es | hat geholt |
| wir | haben geholt |
| ihr | habt geholt |
| sie/Sie | haben geholt |
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hatte geholt |
| du | hattest geholt |
| er/sie/es | hatte geholt |
| wir | hatten geholt |
| ihr | hattet geholt |
| sie/Sie | hatten geholt |
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde holen |
| du | wirst holen |
| er/sie/es | wird holen |
| wir | werden holen |
| ihr | werdet holen |
| sie/Sie | werden holen |
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde geholt haben |
| du | wirst geholt haben |
| er/sie/es | wird geholt haben |
| wir | werden geholt haben |
| ihr | werdet geholt haben |
| sie/Sie | werden geholt haben |
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hole |
| du | holest |
| er/sie/es | hole |
| wir | holen |
| ihr | holet |
| sie/Sie | holen |
Konjunktiv II
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | holte |
| du | holtest |
| er/sie/es | holte |
| wir | holten |
| ihr | holtet |
| sie/Sie | holten |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hätte geholt |
| du | hättest geholt |
| er/sie/es | hätte geholt |
| wir | hätten geholt |
| ihr | hättet geholt |
| sie/Sie | hätten geholt |
Imperative (Imperativ)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | hol |
| wir | holen |
| ihr | holt |
| sie/Sie | holen |
Participles and infinitive
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle (Partizip I) | holend |
| Past participle (Partizip II) | geholt |
| Infinitive | holen |
When to use each tense
Present (Präsens)
The present tense is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Ich hole die Post vom Briefkasten.” — “I fetch the post from the letter box.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
The preterite is used for completed actions in the past, especially in writing and narration. For example: “Du holtest die Post vom Briefkasten.” — “You fetched the post from the letter box.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
The Perfekt is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. With holen it is formed with haben + the past participle geholt. For example: “Er hat die Post vom Briefkasten geholt.” — “He has fetched the post from the letter box.”
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
The Plusquamperfekt is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Wir hatten die Post vom Briefkasten geholt.” — “We had fetched the post from the letter box.”
Future (Futur I)
The Futur I is used for what will happen, predictions and promises. For example: “Ihr werdet die Post vom Briefkasten holen.” — “You will fetch the post from the letter box.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
The Futur II is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Sie werden die Post vom Briefkasten geholt haben.” — “They will have fetched the post from the letter box.”
Konjunktiv I
The Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech and indirect quotation. For example: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich die Post vom Briefkasten hole.” — “It is important that I fetch the post from the letter box.”
Konjunktiv II
The Konjunktiv II is used for wishes, polite requests and hypothetical situations — it also doubles as the conditional. There is no separate würde tense in the tables: the Konjunktiv II forms below do the work of the conditional, and würde + infinitive is the periphrastic alternative you will hear in speech. For example: “Du holtest die Post vom Briefkasten.” — “You would fetch the post from the letter box if you could.”
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er hätte die Post vom Briefkasten geholt.” — “He would have fetched the post from the letter box if he had been able to.”
Imperative (Imperativ)
The imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Hol die Post vom Briefkasten!” — “Fetch the post from the letter box!”
Participles and infinitive
The present participle is holend — “while fetching” — used as an adjective or adverb. The past participle is geholt, used with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe geholt. The infinitive is holen.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with holen, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich hole die Post vom Briefkasten.” — “I fetch the post from the letter box.”
- “Du holst die Post vom Briefkasten.” — “You fetch the post from the letter box.”
- “Er holte die Post vom Briefkasten.” — “He fetched the post from the letter box.”
- “Ich habe die Post vom Briefkasten geholt.” — “I have fetched the post from the letter box.”
- “Er hatte die Post vom Briefkasten geholt.” — “He had fetched the post from the letter box.”
- “Wir werden die Post vom Briefkasten holen.” — “We will fetch the post from the letter box.”
- “Ich werde die Post vom Briefkasten geholt haben.” — “I will have fetched the post from the letter box.”
- “Es ist wichtig, dass ich die Post vom Briefkasten hole.” — “It is important that I fetch the post from the letter box.”
- “Ich holte die Post vom Briefkasten.” — “I would fetch the post from the letter box if I could.”
- “Hol die Post vom Briefkasten!” — “Fetch the post from the letter box!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich holen die Post vom Briefkasten.”
✓ Right: “Ich hole die Post vom Briefkasten.”
The infinitive holen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form hole.
2. Confusing holen with bringen
✗ Wrong: “Ich bringen die Post vom Briefkasten.” (using the wrong verb)
✓ Right: “Ich hole die Post vom Briefkasten.”
holen means “to fetch”; bringen means “to bring”. Keep the two verbs apart by their meaning, not by their sound.
3. Using the wrong auxiliary for the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich bin die Post vom Briefkasten geholt.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe die Post vom Briefkasten geholt.”
With holen the Perfekt is formed with haben, not sein: habe geholt.
4. Using the indicative after a Konjunktiv I trigger
✗ Wrong: “Es ist wichtig, dass du die Post vom Briefkasten holst.”
✓ Right: “Es ist wichtig, dass du die Post vom Briefkasten holest.”
After es ist wichtig, dass German needs Konjunktiv I, so use holest here, not the indicative holst.
5. Using the present for a finished past event
✗ Wrong: “Ich hole die Post vom Briefkasten.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe die Post vom Briefkasten geholt.”
Yesterday’s finished event needs the Perfekt (habe geholt), not the present.
Quiz: test yourself
What is the ich form of holen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) hole
- B) holst
- C) holt
- D) holen
What is the er/sie/es form of holen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) hole
- B) holt
- C) holen
- D) holst
What is the ich form of holen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) holtet
- B) holten
- C) holtest
- D) holte
What is the ich form of holen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) habe geholt
- B) habt geholt
- C) hast geholt
- D) hat geholt
What is the wir form of holen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) hatten geholt
- B) hattet geholt
- C) hattest geholt
- D) hatte geholt
What is the du form of holen in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) werde holen
- B) werden holen
- C) werdet holen
- D) wirst holen
What is the ich form of holen in the Future perfect (Futur II)?
- A) werden geholt haben
- B) wird geholt haben
- C) werdet geholt haben
- D) werde geholt haben
What is the ich form of holen in the Konjunktiv II?
- A) holten
- B) holtest
- C) holtet
- D) holte
What is the past participle of holen?
- A) holend
- B) geholt
- C) holte
- D) hole
What does holen mean in English?
- A) to bring
- B) to fetch
- C) to do
- D) to come
Answer key
- A) hole — the ich form of holen in the present tense is hole.
- B) holt — the er/sie/es form of holen in the present tense is holt.
- D) holte — the ich form of holen in the preterite is holte.
- A) habe geholt — the ich form of holen in the Perfekt is habe geholt.
- A) hatten geholt — the wir form of holen in the Plusquamperfekt is hatten geholt.
- D) wirst holen — the du form of holen in the Futur I is wirst holen.
- D) werde geholt haben — the ich form of holen in the Futur II is werde geholt haben.
- D) holte — the ich form of holen in the Konjunktiv II is holte.
- B) geholt — the past participle of holen is geholt; perfect tenses use haben + geholt.
- B) to fetch — holen means “to fetch” in English.
Frequently asked questions
What does holen mean in English?
holen means “to fetch”. You use it in everyday situations like the examples on this page — for example, “Ich hole die Post vom Briefkasten.” (“I fetch the post from the letter box.”). It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is holen regular or irregular?
holen is regular: its endings follow the standard weak pattern in every tense. The present participle is holend and the past participle is geholt.
What are the participles of holen?
The present participle is holend and the past participle is geholt — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe geholt.
What is the difference between holen and bringen?
holen means “to fetch”, while bringen means “to bring”. They are easy to mix up because they appear in similar situations, but their meanings are different. If you are unsure, check the full conjugation page for bringen and compare the meanings in context.
How do I say “I fetch” in German?
Say “Ich hole die Post vom Briefkasten.” — “I fetch the post from the letter box.” The ich form of the present is hole, and it is the form you will use most often.
How to learn holen
Start with the present tense: hole, holst, holt, holen, holt, holen. Say them in order every day for a week, then add the Perfekt — habe geholt — and the Präteritum — holte. Next, learn the future (werde holen) and the Konjunktiv II (holte), which also does the work of the conditional. Finally, tackle Konjunktiv I (hole) and the imperative (hol). Write one sentence of your own in each tense, using the examples above as models, and check every form against the tables. When you can produce all six persons of the present without looking, move on to the quiz.
Related pages
- holen in the present tense — the full table and uses for this verb in the present tense.
- holen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- German verbs — the full hub of German conjugation pages.
- German present tense guide — how this tense works for regular verbs.
- Einladen conjugation — another German verb to practise with.
- Treffen conjugation — another German verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise holen with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise holen with the interactive tool.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise the present tense with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.