Lernen: Examples, Sentences and Quiz in German

Introduction

Lernen means “to learn”, and it is one of the most useful verbs in German — you will meet it in conversation, in books, in films and in every textbook. This page puts the verb to work: twelve example sentences across the tenses, a short dialogue you can act out, a tour of the verb in its most important tenses, the mistakes learners make most often, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Every form on this page comes from the verified conjugation tables for lernen, so you can trust what you read here. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself with the quiz at the end.

Example sentences

Twelve sentences with lernen, in different tenses and with different subjects. Read the German first, guess the meaning, then check the English.

  1. “Ich lerne Deutsch jeden Tag.” — “I learn German every day.”
  2. “Du lernst viel in der Schule.” — “You learn a lot at school.”
  3. “Ich habe ein neues Lied am Klavier gelernt.” — “I have learned a new song on the piano.”
  4. “Er lernte Deutsch jeden Tag.” — “He learned German every day.”
  5. “Wir werden viel in der Schule lernen.” — “We will learn a lot at school.”
  6. “Du hast ein neues Lied am Klavier gelernt.” — “You have learned a new song on the piano.”
  7. “Ich lernte Deutsch jeden Tag.” — “I would learn German every day.”
  8. “Er lerne viel in der Schule.” — “He learns a lot at school.”
  9. “Wir hatten ein neues Lied am Klavier gelernt.” — “We had learned a new song on the piano.”
  10. “Er wird Deutsch jeden Tag lernen.” — “He will learn German every day.”
  11. “Sie lernen viel in der Schule.” — “They learn a lot at school.”
  12. “Lern ein neues Lied am Klavier!” — “Learn a new song on the piano!”

A short dialogue

Lena and Jonas are talking about German every day. Read the dialogue aloud, one voice per person, and notice how lernen changes with the tense and the subject. Every form of lernen below is taken from the verified tables.

Lena: “Lernst du Deutsch jeden Tag?” — “You learn German every day?” Jonas: “Ich lerne Deutsch jeden Tag.” — “I learn German every day.” Lena: Und morgen? Jonas: “Ich werde viel in der Schule lernen.” — “I will learn a lot at school.” Lena: Und gestern? Jonas: “Ich habe ein neues Lied am Klavier gelernt.” — “I have learned a new song on the piano.” Lena: Und eines Tages? Jonas: “Ich lernte Deutsch jeden Tag.” — “I would learn German every day.”

Notice how the dialogue moves through time: the present for what is happening now, the future for tomorrow, the Perfekt for yesterday, and Konjunktiv II for what someone would do one day. The verb stays the same — only the tense changes — and that is the whole point of learning a conjugation table: one verb, many moments.

Lernen in different tenses

The same verb does different jobs in different tenses. Here are the six uses of lernen that matter most, each with a sentence you can copy and adapt.

The present: habits and facts

In the present, lernen describes habits, facts and what is happening now. The ich form is lerne: “Ich lerne Deutsch jeden Tag.” — “I learn German every day.”

The preterite: the past as a finished event

In the preterite, lernen describes one finished action in the past, the way a story tells it. The er form is lernte: “Er lernte viel in der Schule.” — “He learned a lot at school.”

The Perfekt: finished actions

In the Perfekt, lernen reports one finished action in everyday speech, built with haben plus the participle gelernt. The ich form is habe gelernt: “Ich habe ein neues Lied am Klavier gelernt.” — “I have learned a new song on the piano.”

The future: what will happen

In the future, lernen talks about what will happen. The wir form is werden lernen: “Wir werden Deutsch jeden Tag lernen.” — “We will learn German every day.”

Konjunktiv II: what would happen

In Konjunktiv II, lernen talks about what would happen. Konjunktiv II doubles as the German conditional — there is no separate conditional tense. The du form is lerntest: “Du lerntest viel in der Schule.” — “You would learn a lot at school.”

Konjunktiv I: reported speech

In reported speech, lernen appears in Konjunktiv I, reporting what someone else said. The er form is lerne: “Er lerne ein neues Lied am Klavier.” — “He learns a new song on the piano.” Read it as a quotation — someone said this, and the sentence reports it.

Common mistakes

Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Ich lernen Deutsch jeden Tag.”

✓ Right: “Ich lerne Deutsch jeden Tag.”

The infinitive lernen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated form lerne.

Using the wrong person’s form

✗ Wrong: “Du lerne Deutsch jeden Tag.”

✓ Right: “Du lernst Deutsch jeden Tag.”

lerne is the ich form. With du you need lernst. Check the subject before you choose the form.

Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Ich lerne Deutsch jeden Tag gestern.”

✓ Right: “Ich habe Deutsch jeden Tag gelernt.”

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

Using the indicative in reported speech

✗ Wrong: “Ich lerne Deutsch jeden Tag.” (quoted as reported speech)

✓ Right: “Ich lerne Deutsch jeden Tag.” (quoted as reported speech)

In reported speech German uses Konjunktiv I: lerne, not the indicative lerne.

Forgetting the auxiliary in the Perfekt

✗ Wrong: “Ich gelernt Deutsch jeden Tag.”

✓ Right: “Ich habe Deutsch jeden Tag gelernt.”

The Perfekt of lernen needs the auxiliary haben plus the participle gelernt: the full ich form is habe gelernt.

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) lernt
    • B) lernen
    • C) lerne
    • D) lernst

  2. What is the du form of lernen in the Present (Präsens)?

    • A) lernst
    • B) lerne
    • C) lernt
    • D) lernen

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

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

  4. What is the wir form of lernen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?

    • A) lernten
    • B) lernte
    • C) lerntest
    • D) lerntet

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

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

  6. What is the ich form of lernen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional)?

    • A) lernten
    • B) lerntet
    • C) lernte
    • D) lerntest

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

    • A) lernen
    • B) lernet
    • C) lerne
    • D) lernest

  8. What is the ich form of lernen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?

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

  9. What is the past participle of lernen?

    • A) studiert
    • B) gelesen
    • C) geschrieben
    • D) gelernt

  10. What does lernen mean in English?

  • A) to study
  • B) to read
  • C) to write
  • D) to learn

Answer key

  1. C) lerne — the ich form of lernen in the Present (Präsens) is lerne. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. A) lernst — the du form of lernen in the Present (Präsens) is lernst. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. C) hat gelernt — the er/sie/es form of lernen in the Perfect (Perfekt) is hat gelernt. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) lernten — the wir form of lernen in the Preterite (Präteritum) is lernten. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. D) wirst lernen — the du form of lernen in the Future (Futur I) is wirst lernen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) lernte — the ich form of lernen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional) is lernte. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. C) lerne — the er/sie/es form of lernen in the Konjunktiv I is lerne. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. B) hatte gelernt — the ich form of lernen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is hatte gelernt. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. D) gelernt — the past participle of lernen is gelernt. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
  10. D) to learn — lernen means “to learn” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.

Frequently asked questions

What does lernen mean in English?

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

Is lernen regular or irregular?

lernen is regular in every tense. The present participle is lernend and the past participle is gelernt.

How do I practise lernen every day?

Say one sentence with lernen in the present, one in the Perfekt and one in the future every day, using the examples on this page as models — for example, “Ich lerne Deutsch jeden Tag.”, “Ich habe Deutsch jeden Tag gelernt.” and “Ich werde Deutsch jeden Tag lernen.”. Then take the quiz again and check your answers against the key.

Pronunciation

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

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