Reden in the Present Tense in German

Introduction

Reden means “to talk”, and this page covers exactly one thing: reden 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 reden, 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 reden in the present. For example: “Ich rede mit meinen Freunden über das Wetter jeden Tag.” — “I talk with my friends about the weather every day.” Everything on this page uses the forms of reden exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Reden in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
ich rede
du redest
er/sie/es redet
wir reden
ihr redet
sie/Sie reden

Partizip I: redend · Partizip II: geredet

The present participle is redend, which you use as an adjective. The past participle is geredet, which you use with haben in the perfect tenses: the ich form of the Perfekt is habe geredet, 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 reden is used.

How the Präsens of reden is formed

The present of reden follows the regular weak pattern: take the stem and add the present endings, giving ich rede, du redest, er/sie/es redet, wir reden, ihr redet, sie/Sie reden. 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 redend and Partizip II geredet belong to the same family — learn them together with the present table and you will recognise reden in every tense.

When to use the Präsens of reden

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

1. Talking with my friends about the weather — the everyday use

Reden is the verb for talking with my friends about the weather. It covers the ordinary, everyday situations where this verb appears, at home and outside. Example: “Ich rede mit meinen Freunden über das Wetter jeden Tag.” — “I talk with my friends about the weather every day.”

2. Talking with my family about the holiday — a second everyday use

Reden also covers talking with my family about the holiday. This use is very common in everyday speech, and it is the one learners meet next after the first. Example: “Du redest mit meiner Familie über den Urlaub jeden Tag.” — “You talk with my family about the holiday every day.”

3. Talking with my brother about the film — a third everyday use

In a third everyday situation, you use reden for talking with my brother about the film. 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 redet mit meinem Bruder über den Film jeden Tag.” — “He talks with my brother about the film 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 reden is no exception. Use time expressions such as jeden Tag, immer or jede Woche to make the routine explicit. Example: “Wir reden mit meinen Freunden über das Wetter jeden Tag.” — “We talk with my friends about the weather 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 reden 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 redet mit meiner Familie über den Urlaub jeden Tag.” — “You talk with my family about the holiday 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 rede mit meinen Freunden über das Wetter jeden Tag.” — “I talk with my friends about the weather every day.”

  • Preterite (Präteritum): “Ich redete mit meinen Freunden über das Wetter gestern.” — “I talked with my friends about the weather 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 redest mit meiner Familie über den Urlaub jeden Tag.” — “You talk with my family about the holiday every day.”

  • Preterite (Präteritum): “Du redetest mit meiner Familie über den Urlaub gestern.” — “You talked with my family about the holiday 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 reden mit meinem Bruder über den Film jeden Tag.” — “We talk with my brother about the film every day.”

  • Preterite (Präteritum): “Wir redeten mit meinem Bruder über den Film gestern.” — “We talked with my brother about the film 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: reden 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 rede mit meiner Familie über den Urlaub jeden Tag.” — “I talk with my family about the holiday every day.”

  2. “Du redest mit meinem Bruder über den Film jeden Tag.” — “You talk with my brother about the film every day.”

  3. “Er redet mit meinen Freunden über das Wetter jeden Tag.” — “He talks with my friends about the weather every day.”

  4. “Wir reden mit meiner Familie über den Urlaub jeden Tag.” — “We talk with my family about the holiday every day.”

  5. “Ihr redet mit meinem Bruder über den Film jeden Tag.” — “You talk with my brother about the film every day.”

  6. “Sie reden mit meinen Freunden über das Wetter jeden Tag.” — “They talk with my friends about the weather every day.”

  7. “Ich rede mit meiner Familie über den Urlaub jeden Tag.” — “I talk with my family about the holiday every day.”

  8. “Du redest mit meinem Bruder über den Film jeden Tag.” — “You talk with my brother about the film every day.”

Common mistakes with reden 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 reden mit meinen Freunden über das Wetter.” Right: “Ich rede mit meinen Freunden über das Wetter.” Why: The ich form is rede, not reden. Reden belongs with sie. Mixing the two groups is the most common error with this verb.

  • Wrong: “Wir reden mit meinen Freunden über das Wetter.” Right: “Wir reden mit meinen Freunden über das Wetter.” Why: Wir keeps its own form: reden, not reden. Learn wir and ihr as a separate pair from the singular forms.

  • Wrong: “Ich reden mit meinen Freunden über das Wetter.” (with the infinitive) Right: “Ich rede mit meinen Freunden über das Wetter.” Why: The infinitive reden never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form rede.

  • Wrong: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich rede mit meinen Freunden über das Wetter.” Right: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich rede mit meinen Freunden über das Wetter.” Why: After es ist wichtig, dass German needs Konjunktiv I, so use rede here, not the indicative rede.

Quiz: reden 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 ______ mit meiner Familie über den Urlaub.”

  • (A) rede
  • (B) redest
  • (C) redet
  • (D) reden

2. Complete the sentence: “Du ______ mit meinem Bruder über den Film.”

  • (A) reden
  • (B) redest
  • (C) rede
  • (D) redet

3. Complete the sentence: “Er ______ mit meinen Freunden über das Wetter.”

  • (A) redet
  • (B) rede
  • (C) redest
  • (D) reden

4. Complete the sentence: “Wir ______ mit meiner Familie über den Urlaub.”

  • (A) redest
  • (B) redet
  • (C) reden
  • (D) rede

5. Complete the sentence: “Ihr ______ mit meinem Bruder über den Film.”

  • (A) redet
  • (B) rede
  • (C) redest
  • (D) reden

6. Complete the sentence: “Sie ______ mit meinen Freunden über das Wetter.”

  • (A) redest
  • (B) redet
  • (C) reden
  • (D) rede

7. What does reden mean in English?

  • (A) to discuss
  • (B) to talk
  • (C) to tell
  • (D) to explain

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

  • (A) geredet
  • (B) erzählt
  • (C) geerklärt
  • (D) diskutiert

Answer key

  1. A) rede — The ich form is rede.
  2. B) redest — The du form is redest.
  3. A) redet — The er/sie/es form is redet.
  4. C) reden — The wir form is reden.
  5. A) redet — The ihr form is redet.
  6. C) reden — The sie/Sie form is reden.
  7. B) to talk — reden means “to talk”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
  8. A) geredet — The past participle of reden is geredet; the Präsens is formed with haben + geredet.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present of reden formed?

The present of reden is regular: take the stem and add the present endings, giving ich rede, du redest, er redet, wir reden, ihr redet, sie reden.

When do I use the present of reden?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now — for example, “Ich rede mit meinen Freunden über das Wetter jeden Tag.” — “I talk with my friends about the weather every day.” For a finished past action, use the Perfekt instead.

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

The present describes what is true now or happens regularly; the preterite describes a completed past action, mostly in writing. Compare “Ich rede mit meinen Freunden über das Wetter jeden Tag.” with “Ich redete mit meinen Freunden über das Wetter 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 reden, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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