Öffnen: Examples, Sentences and Quiz in German

Introduction

Öffnen means “to open”, 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 öffnen, 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 öffnen, in different tenses and with different subjects. Read the German first, guess the meaning, then check the English.

  1. “Ich öffne die Tür jeden Tag.” — “I open the door every day.”
  2. “Du öffnest das Fenster jeden Tag.” — “You open the window every day.”
  3. “Ich habe das Buch geöffnet gestern.” — “I have opened the book yesterday.”
  4. “Er öffnete die Tür gestern.” — “He opened the door yesterday.”
  5. “Wir werden das Fenster öffnen morgen.” — “We will open the window tomorrow.”
  6. “Du hast das Buch geöffnet gestern.” — “You have opened the book yesterday.”
  7. “Ich öffnete die Tür eines Tages.” — “I would open the door one day.”
  8. “Es ist wichtig, dass er öffne das Fenster.” — “It is important that he open the window.”
  9. “Wir hatten das Buch geöffnet vor der Party.” — “We had opened the book before the party.”
  10. “Er wird die Tür öffnen morgen.” — “He will open the door tomorrow.”
  11. “Sie öffnen das Fenster jeden Tag.” — “They open the window every day.”
  12. “Öffne das Buch!” — “Open the book!”

A short dialogue

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

Lena: “Du öffnest die Tür jeden Tag.” — “You open the door every day.” Jonas: “Ich öffne die Tür jeden Tag.” — “I open the door every day.” Lena: “Du wirst das Fenster öffnen morgen.” — “You will open the window tomorrow.” Jonas: “Ich werde das Fenster öffnen morgen.” — “I will open the window tomorrow.” Lena: “Du hast das Buch geöffnet gestern.” — “You have opened the book yesterday.” Jonas: “Ich habe das Buch geöffnet gestern.” — “I have opened the book yesterday.” Lena: “Du öffnetest die Tür eines Tages.” — “You would open the door one day.” Jonas: “Ich öffnete die Tür eines Tages.” — “I would open the door one 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.

Öffnen in different tenses

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

The present: habits and facts

In the present, öffnen describes habits, facts and what is happening now. The ich form is öffne: “Ich öffne die Tür jeden Tag.” — “I open the door every day.”

The preterite: the past in stories

In the preterite, öffnen describes a completed past action, mostly in writing and stories. The er form is öffnete: “Er öffnete das Fenster gestern.” — “He opened the window yesterday.”

The Perfekt: finished actions

In the Perfekt, öffnen reports one finished action, built with haben plus the participle geöffnet. The ich form is habe geöffnet: “Ich habe das Buch geöffnet gestern.” — “I have opened the book yesterday.”

The future: what will happen

In the future, öffnen talks about what will happen. The wir form is werden öffnen: “Wir werden die Tür öffnen morgen.” — “We will open the door tomorrow.”

Konjunktiv II: what would happen

In Konjunktiv II, öffnen talks about what would happen. Konjunktiv II doubles as the conditional, and the periphrastic alternative with würde plus the infinitive expresses the same meaning. The du form is öffnetest: “Du öffnetest das Fenster eines Tages.” — “You would open the window one day.”

Konjunktiv I: reported speech

In Konjunktiv I, öffnen appears in reported speech, after triggers such as es ist wichtig, dass. The form is öffne, and the sentence keeps the same complement as the other tenses: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich öffne das Buch.” — “It is important that I open the book.”

Common mistakes

Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Ich öffnen die Tür.”

✓ Right: “Ich öffne die Tür.”

The infinitive öffnen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated form öffne.

Using the wrong person’s form

✗ Wrong: “Du öffne die Tür.”

✓ Right: “Du öffnest die Tür.”

öffne is the ich form. With du you need öffnest. Check the subject before you choose the form.

Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Ich öffne die Tür gestern.”

✓ Right: “Ich habe die Tür geöffnet gestern.”

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

Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

✗ Wrong: “Es ist wichtig, dass du öffnest das Fenster.”

✓ Right: “Es ist wichtig, dass du öffnest das Fenster.”

After es ist wichtig, dass German needs Konjunktiv I: öffnest, not the indicative öffnest.

Forgetting the auxiliary in the Perfekt

✗ Wrong: “Ich geöffnet die Tür.”

✓ Right: “Ich habe die Tür geöffnet.”

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

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) öffnest
    • B) öffnet
    • C) öffnen
    • D) öffne

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

    • A) öffnest
    • B) öffne
    • C) öffnet
    • D) öffnen

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

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

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

    • A) öffneten
    • B) öffnete
    • C) öffnetest
    • D) öffnetet

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

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

  6. What is the ich form of öffnen in the Konjunktiv II?

    • A) öffneten
    • B) öffnetet
    • C) öffnete
    • D) öffnetest

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

    • A) öffnest
    • B) öffnen
    • C) öffnet
    • D) öffne

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

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

  9. What is the past participle (Partizip II) of öffnen?

    • A) geschlossen
    • B) gelaufen
    • C) gerannt
    • D) geöffnet

  10. What does öffnen mean in English?

  • A) to close
  • B) to run
  • C) to run fast
  • D) to open

Answer key

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

Frequently asked questions

What does öffnen mean in English?

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

Is öffnen regular or irregular?

öffnen is regular in every tense. Partizip I is öffnend and Partizip II is geöffnet.

How do I practise öffnen every day?

Say one sentence with öffnen 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 öffne die Tür jeden Tag.”, “Ich habe die Tür geöffnet gestern.” and “Ich werde die Tür öffnen morgen.”. 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 öffnen, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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