Lernen Conjugation in German
lernen means “to learn” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 23 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You will meet it in everyday sentences such as “Ich lerne Deutsch jeden Tag.” — “I learn German every day.” — 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 lernen — every tense, every person, the present participle and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: lernen
- English: to learn
- Verb type: Regular
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Present participle (Partizip I): lernend
- Past participle (Partizip II): gelernt
- Auxiliary: haben (all perfect tenses are formed with haben + the past participle)
- Pattern: weak in the verified tables
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. 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 lernen in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about lernen
- 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 Perfekt is formed with haben in the present plus the past participle gelernt. The tables on this page give the participle in the form exactly as it appears in the verified dump; the participle itself does not change for person, only the auxiliary does.
- The participles are lernend and gelernt: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because the present participle appears as an adjective and the past participle 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 lernen. 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 | lerne |
| du | lernst |
| er/sie/es | lernt |
| wir | lernen |
| ihr | lernt |
| sie/Sie | lernen |
The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Ich lerne viel in der Schule.” — “I learn a lot at school.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | lernte |
| du | lerntest |
| er/sie/es | lernte |
| wir | lernten |
| ihr | lerntet |
| sie/Sie | lernten |
The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. For example: “Du lerntest viel in der Schule.” — “You learned a lot at school.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe gelernt |
| du | hast gelernt |
| er/sie/es | hat gelernt |
| wir | haben gelernt |
| ihr | habt gelernt |
| sie/Sie | haben gelernt |
The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. For example: “Er hat viel in der Schule gelernt.” — “He has learned a lot at school.”
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hatte gelernt |
| du | hattest gelernt |
| er/sie/es | hatte gelernt |
| wir | hatten gelernt |
| ihr | hattet gelernt |
| sie/Sie | hatten gelernt |
The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Ich hatte viel in der Schule gelernt.” — “I had learned a lot at school.”
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde lernen |
| du | wirst lernen |
| er/sie/es | wird lernen |
| wir | werden lernen |
| ihr | werdet lernen |
| sie/Sie | werden lernen |
The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for intentions. For example: “Ich werde viel in der Schule lernen.” — “I will learn a lot at school.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde gelernt haben |
| du | wirst gelernt haben |
| er/sie/es | wird gelernt haben |
| wir | werden gelernt haben |
| ihr | werdet gelernt haben |
| sie/Sie | werden gelernt haben |
The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Du wirst viel in der Schule gelernt haben.” — “You will have learned a lot at school.”
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | lerne |
| du | lernest |
| er/sie/es | lerne |
| wir | lernen |
| ihr | lernet |
| sie/Sie | lernen |
Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech — reporting what someone else said — and in formal written German. For example: “Er lerne viel in der Schule.” — “He learns a lot at school.”
Konjunktiv II (conditional)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | lernte |
| du | lerntest |
| er/sie/es | lernte |
| wir | lernten |
| ihr | lerntet |
| sie/Sie | lernten |
Konjunktiv II is used for hypothetical situations, wishes and polite requests. It doubles as the German conditional: there is no separate conditional tense, and the periphrastic alternative with würde + infinitive is not an engine tense. For example: “Ich lernte viel in der Schule.” — “I would learn a lot at school.”
Conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + participle)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hätte gelernt |
| du | hättest gelernt |
| er/sie/es | hätte gelernt |
| wir | hätten gelernt |
| ihr | hättet gelernt |
| sie/Sie | hätten gelernt |
The conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + past participle) is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er hätte viel in der Schule gelernt.” — “He would have learned a lot at school.”
Imperative (Imperativ)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | lern |
| wir | lernen |
| ihr | lernt |
| sie/Sie | lernen |
The imperative (Imperativ) is used for direct commands, requests and instructions. For example: “Lern viel in der Schule!” — “Learn a lot at school!”
Present participle (Partizip I)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle (Partizip I) | lernend |
The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective or adverb, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle lernend is used to describe something that is happening at the same time as the main action, much like an English -ing adjective.
Past participle (Partizip II)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Past participle (Partizip II) | gelernt |
The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich habe Deutsch jeden Tag gelernt.” — “I have learned German every day.”
Infinitive (Infinitiv)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | lernen |
The infinitive is the dictionary form of the verb, used after modal verbs and other verbs that take an infinitive. The infinitive is the dictionary form of the verb: it is the form you look up, and the form that follows modal verbs and other verbs that take an infinitive.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with lernen, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich lerne Deutsch jeden Tag.” — “I learn German every day.”
- “Du lerntest viel in der Schule.” — “You learned a lot at school.”
- “Er hat ein neues Lied am Klavier gelernt.” — “He has learned a new song on the piano.”
- “Ich werde Deutsch jeden Tag lernen.” — “I will learn German every day.”
- “Du lerntest viel in der Schule.” — “You would learn a lot at school.”
- “Ich hatte ein neues Lied am Klavier gelernt.” — “I had learned a new song on the piano.”
- “Du wirst viel in der Schule gelernt haben.” — “You will have learned a lot at school.”
- “Er lerne ein neues Lied am Klavier.” — “He learns a new song on the piano.”
- “Ich hätte Deutsch jeden Tag gelernt.” — “I would have learned German every day.”
- “Lern Deutsch jeden Tag!” — “Learn German every day!”
Common mistakes
1. 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 present form lerne.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Ich lernen Deutsch jeden Tag.”
✓ Right: “Ich lerne Deutsch jeden Tag.”
lernen is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with lerne.
3. 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.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich bin Deutsch jeden Tag gelernt.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe Deutsch jeden Tag gelernt.”
The Perfekt of lernen is formed with haben plus the past participle gelernt: the ich form is habe gelernt. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
5. Using the preterite where spoken German prefers the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich lernte Deutsch jeden Tag gestern.” (in everyday speech)
✓ Right: “Ich habe Deutsch jeden Tag gelernt.”
In everyday spoken German the Perfekt habe gelernt is the usual past tense. The preterite lernte is correct in writing and in stories, but it sounds formal in conversation.
6. Using the du form when talking to a group
✗ Wrong: “Lern Deutsch jeden Tag!” (said to several people)
✓ Right: “Lernt Deutsch jeden Tag!”
The du imperative lern is for one person you know well. For a group, use the ihr form lernt.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on lernen. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the ich form of lernen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) lernt
- B) lernen
- C) lerne
- D) lernst
What is the er/sie/es form of lernen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) lernten
- B) lerntet
- C) lernte
- D) lerntest
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
What is the du form of lernen in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) werde lernen
- B) wird lernen
- C) werden lernen
- D) wirst lernen
What is the ich form of lernen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional)?
- A) lernten
- B) lerntet
- C) lernte
- D) lerntest
What is the wir form of lernen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) hatte gelernt
- B) hattest gelernt
- C) hattet gelernt
- D) hatten gelernt
What is the er/sie/es form of lernen in the Konjunktiv I?
- A) lernen
- B) lernet
- C) lerne
- D) lernest
What is the du form of lernen in the Imperative (Imperativ)?
- A) lernen
- B) lernt
- C) lernst
- D) lern
What is the past participle of lernen?
- A) studiert
- B) gelesen
- C) geschrieben
- D) gelernt
What does lernen mean in English?
- A) to study
- B) to read
- C) to write
- D) to learn
Answer key
- C) lerne — the ich form of lernen in the Present (Präsens) is lerne. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) lernte — the er/sie/es form of lernen in the Preterite (Präteritum) is lernte. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- 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.
- 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.
- C) lernte — the ich form of lernen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional) is lernte. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) hatten gelernt — the wir form of lernen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is hatten gelernt. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- 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.
- D) lern — the du form of lernen in the Imperative (Imperativ) is lern. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) gelernt — the past participle of lernen is gelernt; it is used with haben in the perfect tenses. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- 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: it follows the ordinary weak pattern in every tense. The present participle is lernend and the past participle is gelernt.
What are the participles of lernen?
The present participle (Partizip I) is lernend — use it as an adjective for an ongoing action. The past participle (Partizip II) is gelernt — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe gelernt.
Which auxiliary does lernen take in the Perfekt?
lernen takes haben in the Perfekt: the ich form is habe gelernt. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with haben plus the past participle gelernt.
Does German have a separate conditional tense?
No. Konjunktiv II doubles as the conditional: the ich form lernte is the form you use for “would” meanings, and the periphrastic alternative with würde + infinitive is not a separate engine tense. The conditional perfect hätte gelernt covers “would have” meanings.
How do I say “I learn German every day” in German?
Say “Ich lerne Deutsch jeden Tag.” — “I learn German every day.” The ich form of the present is lerne, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of lernen — every tense of lernen in one place.
- Lernen in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Lernen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Studieren conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Lesen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Schreiben 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 lernen with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise lernen with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise lernen with the interactive tool.