Mögen Conjugation in German
mögen means “to like” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 9 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You will meet it in everyday sentences such as “Ich mag Kaffee.” — “I like coffee.” — 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 mögen — every tense, every person, the present participle and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: mögen
- English: to like
- Verb type: Irregular
- Irregular in: present, preterite, perfect, pluperfect, future, future-perfect, konjunktiv-1, konjunktiv-2, conditional-perfect, imperative, past-participle
- Present participle (Partizip I): mögend
- Past participle (Partizip II): gemocht
- 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 mögen, 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 mögen in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about mögen
- It is irregular in 11 tense(s): present, preterite, perfect, pluperfect, future, future-perfect, konjunktiv-1, konjunktiv-2, conditional-perfect, imperative, past-participle. Learn those forms as a set rather than guessing them from the infinitive, because the regular pattern will not produce them.
- The perfect tenses use haben: the Perfekt is formed with haben in the present plus the past participle gemocht. 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 mögend and gemocht: 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.
- Modal verbs have no du-imperative: the verified tables give no du form for mögen — the du cell is marked with a dash — so do not invent one. To give an instruction, use the present tense instead, for example “Du magst Kaffee.”
- Ersatzinfinitiv in the perfect: when mögen stands with another verb in a perfect tense, the infinitive replaces the past participle — the Ersatzinfinitiv. The table below gives the main-verb perfect habe gemocht, but with a dependent infinitive you say “Ich habe kommen mögen.” — “I have liked come.” This is a usage note, not a separate tense: the participle gemocht is still the form the table lists.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for mögen. 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 | mag |
| du | magst |
| er/sie/es | mag |
| wir | mögen |
| ihr | mögt |
| sie/Sie | mögen |
The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With mögen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Ich mag Musik.” — “I like music.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | mochte |
| du | mochtest |
| er/sie/es | mochte |
| wir | mochten |
| ihr | mochtet |
| sie/Sie | mochten |
The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. With mögen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Du mochtest Musik.” — “You liked music.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe gemocht |
| du | hast gemocht |
| er/sie/es | hat gemocht |
| wir | haben gemocht |
| ihr | habt gemocht |
| sie/Sie | haben gemocht |
The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. The table gives the main-verb perfect, built with haben plus the participle gemocht. When mögen stands with a dependent infinitive, the Ersatzinfinitiv replaces the participle: “Ich habe kommen mögen.” — “I have liked come.” For example, the ich form in the table is habe gemocht.
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hatte gemocht |
| du | hattest gemocht |
| er/sie/es | hatte gemocht |
| wir | hatten gemocht |
| ihr | hattet gemocht |
| sie/Sie | hatten gemocht |
The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. With mögen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Ich hatte es gemocht.” — “I had liked it.”
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde mögen |
| du | wirst mögen |
| er/sie/es | wird mögen |
| wir | werden mögen |
| ihr | werdet mögen |
| sie/Sie | werden mögen |
The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for intentions. With mögen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Ich werde es mögen.” — “I will like it.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde gemocht haben |
| du | wirst gemocht haben |
| er/sie/es | wird gemocht haben |
| wir | werden gemocht haben |
| ihr | werdet gemocht haben |
| sie/Sie | werden gemocht haben |
The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. With mögen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Du wirst es gemocht haben.” — “You will have liked it.”
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | möge |
| du | mögest |
| er/sie/es | möge |
| wir | mögen |
| ihr | möget |
| sie/Sie | mögen |
Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech — reporting what someone else said — and in formal written German. With mögen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Er möge Musik.” — “He likes music.”
Konjunktiv II (conditional)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | möchte |
| du | möchtest |
| er/sie/es | möchte |
| wir | möchten |
| ihr | möchtet |
| sie/Sie | möchten |
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. With mögen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Ich möchte Musik.” — “I would like music.”
Conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + participle)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hätte gemocht |
| du | hättest gemocht |
| er/sie/es | hätte gemocht |
| wir | hätten gemocht |
| ihr | hättet gemocht |
| sie/Sie | hätten gemocht |
The conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + past participle) is used for what would have happened in a different past. With mögen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Er hätte es gemocht.” — “He would have liked it.”
Imperative (Imperativ)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | — |
| wir | mögen |
| ihr | mögt |
| sie/Sie | mögen |
The imperative (Imperativ) is used for direct commands, requests and instructions. The verified tables give no imperative form for mögen in the du person — the cell is marked with a dash — because modal verbs have no du-imperative in the dump. Do not invent one: to give an instruction with mögen, German speakers use the present tense instead, for example “Du magst Kaffee.” — “You like coffee.” The wir, ihr and sie forms in the table are given exactly as the dump lists them.
Present participle (Partizip I)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle (Partizip I) | mögend |
The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective or adverb, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle mögend 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) | gemocht |
The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich habe es gemocht.” — “I have liked it.”
Infinitive (Infinitiv)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | mögen |
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 mögen, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich mag Kaffee.” — “I like coffee.”
- “Du mochtest Musik.” — “You liked music.”
- “Er hat es gemocht.” — “He has liked it.”
- “Ich werde es mögen.” — “I will like it.”
- “Du möchtest Musik.” — “You would like music.”
- “Ich hatte es gemocht.” — “I had liked it.”
- “Du wirst es gemocht haben.” — “You will have liked it.”
- “Er möge Berlin.” — “He likes Berlin.”
- “Ich hätte es gemocht.” — “I would have liked it.”
- “Du magst Kaffee.” — “You like coffee.”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich mögen Kaffee.”
✓ Right: “Ich mag Kaffee.”
The infinitive mögen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form mag.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Ich mögen Kaffee.”
✓ Right: “Ich mag Kaffee.”
mögen is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with mag.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Ich mag Kaffee gestern.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe es gemocht.”
The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt habe gemocht, not the present.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich bin Kaffee gemocht.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe es gemocht.”
The Perfekt of mögen is formed with haben plus the past participle gemocht: the ich form is habe gemocht. 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 mochte Kaffee gestern.” (in everyday speech)
✓ Right: “Ich habe es gemocht.”
In everyday spoken German the Perfekt habe gemocht is the usual past tense. The preterite mochte is correct in writing and in stories, but it sounds formal in conversation.
6. Inventing a du-imperative for a modal verb
✗ Wrong: “Kann Kaffee!” (invented du-imperative)
✓ Right: “Du magst Kaffee.”
Modal verbs have no du-imperative in the verified tables — the du cell is a dash, not a form. Use the present tense magst to tell someone what they can or must do.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on mögen. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the ich form of mögen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) magst
- B) mögen
- C) mögt
- D) mag
What is the er/sie/es form of mögen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) mochte
- B) mochtest
- C) mochten
- D) mochtet
What is the er/sie/es form of mögen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) hat gemocht
- B) habe gemocht
- C) hast gemocht
- D) haben gemocht
What is the du form of mögen in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) wird mögen
- B) werden mögen
- C) wirst mögen
- D) werde mögen
What is the ich form of mögen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional)?
- A) möchtet
- B) möchte
- C) möchtest
- D) möchten
What is the wir form of mögen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) hattet gemocht
- B) hatten gemocht
- C) hatte gemocht
- D) hattest gemocht
What is the er/sie/es form of mögen in the Konjunktiv I?
- A) möget
- B) möge
- C) mögest
- D) mögen
What is the ihr form of mögen in the Imperative (Imperativ)?
- A) mochtet
- B) habt gemocht
- C) mögt
- D) mögen
What is the past participle of mögen?
- A) gekommen
- B) gemocht
- C) gewusst
- D) gegangen
What does mögen mean in English?
- A) to like
- B) to know
- C) to go
- D) to come
Answer key
- D) mag — the ich form of mögen in the Present (Präsens) is mag. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) mochte — the er/sie/es form of mögen in the Preterite (Präteritum) is mochte. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) hat gemocht — the er/sie/es form of mögen in the Perfect (Perfekt) is hat gemocht. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) wirst mögen — the du form of mögen in the Future (Futur I) is wirst mögen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) möchte — the ich form of mögen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional) is möchte. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) hatten gemocht — the wir form of mögen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is hatten gemocht. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) möge — the er/sie/es form of mögen in the Konjunktiv I is möge. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) mögt — the ihr form of mögen in the Imperative (Imperativ) is mögt. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) gemocht — the past participle of mögen is gemocht; it is used with haben in the perfect tenses. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- A) to like — mögen means “to like” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does mögen mean in English?
mögen means “to like”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is mögen regular or irregular?
mögen is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, perfect, pluperfect, future, future-perfect, konjunktiv-1, konjunktiv-2, conditional-perfect, imperative, past-participle. The present participle is mögend and the past participle is gemocht.
What are the participles of mögen?
The present participle (Partizip I) is mögend — use it as an adjective for an ongoing action. The past participle (Partizip II) is gemocht — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe gemocht.
Which auxiliary does mögen take in the Perfekt?
mögen takes haben in the Perfekt: the ich form is habe gemocht. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with haben plus the past participle gemocht.
Does German have a separate conditional tense?
No. Konjunktiv II doubles as the conditional: the ich form möchte 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 gemocht covers “would have” meanings.
How do I say “I like coffee” in German?
Say “Ich mag Kaffee.” — “I like coffee.” The ich form of the present is mag, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of mögen — every tense of mögen in one place.
- Mögen in the Perfekt tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Mögen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Wissen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Gehen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Kommen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- German irregular verbs — every common irregular German verb, grouped by pattern.
- 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 mögen with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise mögen with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise mögen with the interactive tool.