Lächeln Conjugation in German
lächeln means “to smile” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 107 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You use it whenever you talk about smiling in a friendly way, 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 lächeln — 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 lächle freundlich jeden Tag.” — “I smile in a friendly way every day.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: lächeln
- English: to smile
- Verb type: Regular
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Pattern: weak
- Separable: no
- Participle I: lächelnd
- Past participle (Partizip II): gelächelt
- 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 lächeln, 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 lächeln in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about lächeln
- 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.
- The perfect tenses use haben: the perfect is formed with haben in the present plus the past participle gelächelt. 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.
- Partizip I is lächelnd and Partizip II is gelächelt: 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 lächeln. 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 | lächle |
| du | lächelst |
| er/sie/es | lächelt |
| wir | lächeln |
| ihr | lächelt |
| sie/Sie | lächeln |
The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Ich lächle im Foto jeden Tag.” — “I smile in the photo every day.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | lächelte |
| du | lächeltest |
| er/sie/es | lächelte |
| wir | lächelten |
| ihr | lächeltet |
| sie/Sie | lächelten |
The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. For example: “Du lächeltest im Foto gestern.” — “You smiled in the photo yesterday.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe gelächelt |
| du | hast gelächelt |
| er/sie/es | hat gelächelt |
| wir | haben gelächelt |
| ihr | habt gelächelt |
| sie/Sie | haben gelächelt |
The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. For example: “Er hat im Foto gelächelt gestern.” — “He has smiled in the photo yesterday.”
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hatte gelächelt |
| du | hattest gelächelt |
| er/sie/es | hatte gelächelt |
| wir | hatten gelächelt |
| ihr | hattet gelächelt |
| sie/Sie | hatten gelächelt |
The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Wir hatten im Foto gelächelt vor der Party.” — “We had smiled in the photo before the party.”
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde lächeln |
| du | wirst lächeln |
| er/sie/es | wird lächeln |
| wir | werden lächeln |
| ihr | werdet lächeln |
| sie/Sie | werden lächeln |
The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Ich werde im Foto lächeln morgen.” — “I will smile in the photo tomorrow.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde gelächelt haben |
| du | wirst gelächelt haben |
| er/sie/es | wird gelächelt haben |
| wir | werden gelächelt haben |
| ihr | werdet gelächelt haben |
| sie/Sie | werden gelächelt haben |
The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Du wirst im Foto gelächelt haben bis morgen.” — “You will have smiled in the photo by tomorrow.”
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | lächele |
| du | lächlest |
| er/sie/es | lächele |
| wir | lächlen |
| ihr | lächlet |
| sie/Sie | lächlen |
Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech and indirect quotation. For example: “Es ist wichtig, dass er lächele im Foto.” — “It is important that he smile in the photo.”
Konjunktiv II
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | lächelte |
| du | lächeltest |
| er/sie/es | lächelte |
| wir | lächelten |
| ihr | lächeltet |
| sie/Sie | lächelten |
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 lächelte im Foto eines Tages.” — “I would smile in the photo one day.”
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hätte gelächelt |
| du | hättest gelächelt |
| er/sie/es | hätte gelächelt |
| wir | hätten gelächelt |
| ihr | hättet gelächelt |
| sie/Sie | hätten gelächelt |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er hätte im Foto gelächelt gestern.” — “He would have smiled in the photo yesterday.”
Imperative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | lächle |
| wir | lächeln |
| ihr | lächelt |
| sie | lächeln |
The imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Lächle im Foto!” — “Smile in the photo!”
Present participle (Partizip I)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle | lächelnd |
The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective and for describing an action in progress. For example, the participle lächelnd describes something that is smiling. The present-tense sentence “Ich lächle freundlich jeden Tag.” — “I smile in a friendly way every day.” shows the same verb in action.
Past participle (Partizip II)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Past participle | gelächelt |
The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich habe freundlich gelächelt gestern.” — “I have smiled in a friendly way yesterday.”
Infinitive
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | lächeln |
The infinitive is the dictionary form of the verb, used after modal verbs and in infinitive constructions. The infinitive lächeln 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 freundlich lächeln morgen.” — “I will smile in a friendly way tomorrow.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with lächeln, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich lächle freundlich jeden Tag.” — “I smile in a friendly way every day.”
- “Du lächeltest im Foto gestern.” — “You smiled in the photo yesterday.”
- “Er hat glücklich gelächelt gestern.” — “He has smiled happily yesterday.”
- “Wir hatten freundlich gelächelt vor der Party.” — “We had smiled in a friendly way before the party.”
- “Ich werde im Foto lächeln morgen.” — “I will smile in the photo tomorrow.”
- “Du wirst glücklich gelächelt haben bis morgen.” — “You will have smiled happily by tomorrow.”
- “Es ist wichtig, dass er lächele freundlich.” — “It is important that he smile in a friendly way.”
- “Ich lächelte im Foto eines Tages.” — “I would smile in the photo one day.”
- “Er hätte glücklich gelächelt gestern.” — “He would have smiled happily yesterday.”
- “Lächle freundlich!” — “Smile in a friendly way!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich lächeln freundlich.”
✓ Right: “Ich lächle freundlich.”
The infinitive lächeln never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form lächle.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Ich lächeln freundlich.”
✓ Right: “Ich lächle freundlich.”
lächeln is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with lächle.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Ich lächle freundlich gestern.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe freundlich gelächelt gestern.”
The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt habe gelächelt, not the present.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich lächle freundlich.”
✓ Right: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich lächele freundlich.”
After es ist wichtig, dass German needs Konjunktiv I, so use lächele here, not the indicative lächle.
5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich bin gelächelt freundlich.”
✓ Right: “habe gelächelt freundlich.”
The Perfekt of lächeln is formed with haben plus the past participle gelächelt: the ich form is habe gelächelt. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
6. Using the preterite for a daily habit
✗ Wrong: “Ich lächelte freundlich jeden Tag.”
✓ Right: “Ich lächle freundlich jeden Tag.”
The preterite lächelte describes a past action. For something you do every day, use the present lächle.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on lächeln. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the ich form of lächeln in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) lächle
- B) lächelst
- C) lächelt
- D) lächeln
What is the du form of lächeln in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) lächeltest
- B) lächelte
- C) lächelten
- D) lächeltet
What is the er/sie/es form of lächeln in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) habe gelächelt
- B) hast gelächelt
- C) haben gelächelt
- D) hat gelächelt
What is the wir form of lächeln in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) hatten gelächelt
- B) hatte gelächelt
- C) hattest gelächelt
- D) hattet gelächelt
What is the du form of lächeln in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) werden lächeln
- B) wirst lächeln
- C) werde lächeln
- D) wird lächeln
What is the ich form of lächeln in the Future perfect (Futur II)?
- A) wirst gelächelt haben
- B) wird gelächelt haben
- C) werden gelächelt haben
- D) werde gelächelt haben
What is the er/sie/es form of lächeln in the Konjunktiv I?
- A) lächlest
- B) lächlen
- C) lächlet
- D) lächele
What is the ich form of lächeln in the Konjunktiv II?
- A) lächeltest
- B) lächelten
- C) lächeltet
- D) lächelte
What is the present participle (Partizip I) of lächeln?
- A) flüsternd
- B) redend
- C) lächelnd
- D) schreiend
What does lächeln mean in English?
- A) to shout
- B) to whisper
- C) to talk
- D) to smile
Answer key
- A) lächle — the ich form of lächeln in the Present (Präsens) is lächle. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) lächeltest — the du form of lächeln in the Preterite (Präteritum) is lächeltest. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) hat gelächelt — the er/sie/es form of lächeln in the Perfect (Perfekt) is hat gelächelt. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) hatten gelächelt — the wir form of lächeln in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is hatten gelächelt. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) wirst lächeln — the du form of lächeln in the Future (Futur I) is wirst lächeln. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) werde gelächelt haben — the ich form of lächeln in the Future perfect (Futur II) is werde gelächelt haben. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) lächele — the er/sie/es form of lächeln in the Konjunktiv I is lächele. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) lächelte — the ich form of lächeln in the Konjunktiv II is lächelte. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) lächelnd — the present participle (Partizip I) of lächeln is lächelnd. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- D) to smile — lächeln means “to smile” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does lächeln mean in English?
lächeln means “to smile”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is lächeln regular or irregular?
lächeln is regular: it follows the ordinary weak pattern in every tense. Partizip I is lächelnd and Partizip II is gelächelt.
What are the participles of lächeln?
Partizip I is lächelnd — use it as an adjective. Partizip II is gelächelt — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe gelächelt.
Which auxiliary does lächeln take in the Perfekt?
lächeln takes haben in the Perfekt: the ich form is habe gelächelt. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with haben plus the past participle gelächelt.
How do I say “I smile” in German?
Say “Ich lächle freundlich jeden Tag.” — “I smile in a friendly way every day.” The ich form of the present is lächle, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of lächeln — every tense of lächeln in one place.
- Lächeln in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Lächeln examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Schreien conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Flüstern conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Reden 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.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — practise lächeln with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise lächeln with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise lächeln with the interactive tool.