Probieren: Examples, Sentences and Quiz in German

Introduction

Probieren means “to try, to taste”, 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 probieren, 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 probieren, in different tenses and with different subjects. Read the German first, guess the meaning, then check the English.

  1. “Ich probiere den Kuchen jeden Tag.” — “I try the cake every day.”
  2. “Du probierst das neue Rezept jeden Tag.” — “You try the new recipe every day.”
  3. “Ich habe die Suppe probiert gestern.” — “I have tried the soup yesterday.”
  4. “Er probierte den Kuchen gestern.” — “He tried the cake yesterday.”
  5. “Wir werden das neue Rezept probieren morgen.” — “We will try the new recipe tomorrow.”
  6. “Du hast die Suppe probiert gestern.” — “You have tried the soup yesterday.”
  7. “Ich probierte den Kuchen eines Tages.” — “I would try the cake one day.”
  8. “Es ist wichtig, dass er probiere das neue Rezept.” — “It is important that he try the new recipe.”
  9. “Wir hatten die Suppe probiert vor der Party.” — “We had tried the soup before the party.”
  10. “Er wird den Kuchen probieren morgen.” — “He will try the cake tomorrow.”
  11. “Sie probieren das neue Rezept jeden Tag.” — “They try the new recipe every day.”
  12. “Probier die Suppe!” — “Try the soup!”

A short dialogue

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

Lena: “Du probierst den Kuchen jeden Tag.” — “You try the cake every day.” Jonas: “Ich probiere den Kuchen jeden Tag.” — “I try the cake every day.” Lena: “Du wirst das neue Rezept probieren morgen.” — “You will try the new recipe tomorrow.” Jonas: “Ich werde das neue Rezept probieren morgen.” — “I will try the new recipe tomorrow.” Lena: “Du hast die Suppe probiert gestern.” — “You have tried the soup yesterday.” Jonas: “Ich habe die Suppe probiert gestern.” — “I have tried the soup yesterday.” Lena: “Du probiertest den Kuchen eines Tages.” — “You would try the cake one day.” Jonas: “Ich probierte den Kuchen eines Tages.” — “I would try the cake 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.

Probieren in different tenses

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

The present: habits and facts

In the present, probieren describes habits, facts and what is happening now. The ich form is probiere: “Ich probiere den Kuchen jeden Tag.” — “I try the cake every day.”

The preterite: the past in stories

In the preterite, probieren describes a completed past action, mostly in writing and stories. The er form is probierte: “Er probierte das neue Rezept gestern.” — “He tried the new recipe yesterday.”

The Perfekt: finished actions

In the Perfekt, probieren reports one finished action, built with haben plus the participle probiert. The ich form is habe probiert: “Ich habe die Suppe probiert gestern.” — “I have tried the soup yesterday.”

The future: what will happen

In the future, probieren talks about what will happen. The wir form is werden probieren: “Wir werden den Kuchen probieren morgen.” — “We will try the cake tomorrow.”

Konjunktiv II: what would happen

In Konjunktiv II, probieren 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 probiertest: “Du probiertest das neue Rezept eines Tages.” — “You would try the new recipe one day.”

Konjunktiv I: reported speech

In Konjunktiv I, probieren appears in reported speech, after triggers such as es ist wichtig, dass. The form is probiere, and the sentence keeps the same complement as the other tenses: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich probiere die Suppe.” — “It is important that I try the soup.”

Common mistakes

Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Ich probieren den Kuchen.”

✓ Right: “Ich probiere den Kuchen.”

The infinitive probieren never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated form probiere.

Using the wrong person’s form

✗ Wrong: “Du probiere den Kuchen.”

✓ Right: “Du probierst den Kuchen.”

probiere is the ich form. With du you need probierst. Check the subject before you choose the form.

Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Ich probiere den Kuchen gestern.”

✓ Right: “Ich habe den Kuchen probiert gestern.”

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

Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

✗ Wrong: “Es ist wichtig, dass du probierst das neue Rezept.”

✓ Right: “Es ist wichtig, dass du probierest das neue Rezept.”

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

Forgetting the auxiliary in the Perfekt

✗ Wrong: “Ich probiert den Kuchen.”

✓ Right: “Ich habe den Kuchen probiert.”

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

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) probiere
    • B) probierst
    • C) probiert
    • D) probieren

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

    • A) probiert
    • B) probieren
    • C) probierst
    • D) probiere

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

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

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

    • A) probiertest
    • B) probiertet
    • C) probierten
    • D) probierte

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

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

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

    • A) probierte
    • B) probiertest
    • C) probierten
    • D) probiertet

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

    • A) probiere
    • B) probierest
    • C) probieren
    • D) probiert

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

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

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

    • A) vergessen
    • B) probiert
    • C) geglaubt
    • D) gemeint

  10. What does probieren mean in English?

  • A) to mean
  • B) to forget
  • C) to try, to taste
  • D) to believe

Answer key

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

Frequently asked questions

What does probieren mean in English?

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

Is probieren regular or irregular?

probieren is regular in every tense. Partizip I is probierend and Partizip II is probiert.

How do I practise probieren every day?

Say one sentence with probieren 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 probiere den Kuchen jeden Tag.”, “Ich habe den Kuchen probiert gestern.” and “Ich werde den Kuchen probieren 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 probieren, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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