Probieren in the Present Tense in German

Introduction

Probieren means “to try, to taste”, and this page covers exactly one thing: probieren in the present tense. The present is the tense German speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for probieren, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about probieren in the present. For example: “Ich probiere den Kuchen jeden Tag.” — “I try the cake every day.” Everything on this page uses the forms of probieren exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Probieren in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
ich probiere
du probierst
er/sie/es probiert
wir probieren
ihr probiert
sie/Sie probieren

Partizip I: probierend · Partizip II: probiert

The present participle is probierend, which you use as an adjective. The past participle is probiert, which you use with haben in the perfect tenses: the ich form of the Perfekt is habe probiert, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the Präsens is only one part of how probieren is used.

How the Präsens of probieren is formed

The present of probieren follows the regular weak pattern: take the stem and add the present endings, giving ich probiere, du probierst, er/sie/es probiert, wir probieren, ihr probiert, sie/Sie probieren. The wir and ihr forms are the ones learners most often get wrong, because they expect a change that is not there — learn the six forms as two groups, the singular forms and the plural forms, and the pattern becomes automatic. The stem never changes in the present for this verb, so the only work is the endings.

The present stem also feeds other tenses: the preterite and Konjunktiv II are built from the same family of forms, so learning the present properly makes the rest of the conjugation easier. Partizip I probierend and Partizip II probiert belong to the same family — learn them together with the present table and you will recognise probieren in every tense.

When to use the Präsens of probieren

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use probieren in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Trying the cake — the everyday use

Probieren is the verb for trying the cake. It covers the ordinary, everyday situations where this verb appears, at home and outside. Example: “Ich probiere den Kuchen jeden Tag.” — “I try the cake every day.”

2. Trying the new recipe — a second everyday use

Probieren also covers trying the new recipe. This use is very common in everyday speech, and it is the one learners meet next after the first. Example: “Du probierst das neue Rezept jeden Tag.” — “You try the new recipe every day.”

3. Trying the soup — a third everyday use

In a third everyday situation, you use probieren for trying the soup. The same verb, the same present forms, a different situation — that is why the present is worth learning as a whole table rather than one form at a time. Example: “Er probiert die Suppe jeden Tag.” — “He tries the soup every day.”

4. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and probieren is no exception. Use time expressions such as jeden Tag, immer or jede Woche to make the routine explicit. Example: “Wir probieren den Kuchen jeden Tag.” — “We try the cake every day.”

5. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. German often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with probieren in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Ihr probiert das neue Rezept jeden Tag.” — “You try the new recipe every day.”

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The closest tense to the Präsens is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the preterite describes a completed past action, mostly in writing and stories, while the present describes habits and facts that are true now. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the Präsens sentences use words such as jeden Tag or gestern, while the preterite sentences belong to a story told in the past. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present: “Ich probiere den Kuchen jeden Tag.” — “I try the cake every day.”

  • Preterite (Präteritum): “Ich probierte den Kuchen gestern.” — “I tried the cake yesterday.”

  • The Präsens sentence is about the present moment or one finished action in speech; the preterite sentence is about the past as it is told in writing. That difference — now or finished in speech versus told in a story — is the whole decision.

  • Present: “Du probierst das neue Rezept jeden Tag.” — “You try the new recipe every day.”

  • Preterite (Präteritum): “Du probiertest das neue Rezept gestern.” — “You tried the new recipe yesterday.”

  • The Präsens sentence is about the present moment or one finished action in speech; the preterite sentence is about the past as it is told in writing. That difference — now or finished in speech versus told in a story — is the whole decision.

  • Present: “Wir probieren die Suppe jeden Tag.” — “We try the soup every day.”

  • Preterite (Präteritum): “Wir probierten die Suppe gestern.” — “We tried the soup yesterday.”

  • The Präsens sentence is about the present moment or one finished action in speech; the preterite sentence is about the past as it is told in writing. That difference — now or finished in speech versus told in a story — is the whole decision.

Example sentences: probieren in the Präsens

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other words — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Ich probiere das neue Rezept jeden Tag.” — “I try the new recipe every day.”

  2. “Du probierst die Suppe jeden Tag.” — “You try the soup every day.”

  3. “Er probiert den Kuchen jeden Tag.” — “He tries the cake every day.”

  4. “Wir probieren das neue Rezept jeden Tag.” — “We try the new recipe every day.”

  5. “Ihr probiert die Suppe jeden Tag.” — “You try the soup every day.”

  6. “Sie probieren den Kuchen jeden Tag.” — “They try the cake every day.”

  7. “Ich probiere das neue Rezept jeden Tag.” — “I try the new recipe every day.”

  8. “Du probierst die Suppe jeden Tag.” — “You try the soup every day.”

Common mistakes with probieren in the Präsens

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Ich probieren den Kuchen.” Right: “Ich probiere den Kuchen.” Why: The ich form is probiere, not probieren. Probieren belongs with sie. Mixing the two groups is the most common error with this verb.

  • Wrong: “Wir probieren den Kuchen.” Right: “Wir probieren den Kuchen.” Why: Wir keeps its own form: probieren, not probieren. Learn wir and ihr as a separate pair from the singular forms.

  • Wrong: “Ich probieren den Kuchen.” (with the infinitive) Right: “Ich probiere den Kuchen.” Why: The infinitive probieren never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form probiere.

  • Wrong: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich probiere den Kuchen.” Right: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich probiere den Kuchen.” Why: After es ist wichtig, dass German needs Konjunktiv I, so use probiere here, not the indicative probiere.

Quiz: probieren in the Präsens

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

1. Complete the sentence: “Ich ______ das neue Rezept.”

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

2. Complete the sentence: “Du ______ die Suppe.”

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

3. Complete the sentence: “Er ______ den Kuchen.”

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

4. Complete the sentence: “Wir ______ das neue Rezept.”

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

5. Complete the sentence: “Ihr ______ die Suppe.”

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

6. Complete the sentence: “Sie ______ den Kuchen.”

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

7. What does probieren mean in English?

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

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

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

Answer key

  1. A) probiere — The ich form is probiere.
  2. C) probierst — The du form is probierst.
  3. B) probiert — The er/sie/es form is probiert.
  4. C) probieren — The wir form is probieren.
  5. B) probiert — The ihr form is probiert.
  6. C) probieren — The sie/Sie form is probieren.
  7. C) to try, to taste — probieren means “to try, to taste”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
  8. B) probiert — The past participle of probieren is probiert; the Präsens is formed with haben + probiert.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present of probieren formed?

The present of probieren is regular: take the stem and add the present endings, giving ich probiere, du probierst, er probiert, wir probieren, ihr probiert, sie probieren.

When do I use the present of probieren?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now — for example, “Ich probiere den Kuchen jeden Tag.” — “I try the cake every day.” For a finished past action, use the Perfekt instead.

What is the difference between the present and the preterite of probieren?

The present describes what is true now or happens regularly; the preterite describes a completed past action, mostly in writing. Compare “Ich probiere den Kuchen jeden Tag.” with “Ich probierte den Kuchen gestern.” — the first is now, the second is the past as it is told in a story.

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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