Sagen in the Present (Präsens) Tense in German
Introduction
Sagen means “to say”, and this page covers exactly one thing: sagen 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 sagen, 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 sagen in the present. For example: “Ich sage die Wahrheit zu Marie.” — “I say the truth to Marie.” Everything on this page uses the forms of sagen exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.
Sagen in the Present (Präsens) Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | sage |
| du | sagst |
| er/sie/es | sagt |
| wir | sagen |
| ihr | sagt |
| sie/Sie | sagen |
Present participle: sagend · Past participle: gesagt
The present participle is sagend, which you use as an adjective for an ongoing action. The past participle is gesagt, which you use with haben in the perfect tenses: the ich form of the Perfekt is habe gesagt, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how sagen is used.
How the present of sagen is formed
The present of sagen follows the regular weak pattern: take the stem and add the present endings, giving ich sage, du sagst, er/sie/es sagt, wir sagen, ihr sagt, sie/Sie sagen. 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 stem family, so learning the present properly makes the rest of the conjugation easier. The participles sagend and gesagt belong to the same family of forms — learn them together with the present table and you will recognise sagen in every tense.
When to use the present of sagen
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use sagen in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. To say the truth to Marie — the everyday use
The most everyday use of sagen is the truth to Marie. It covers the ordinary, everyday situations where this verb appears, at home and outside. Example: “Ich sage die Wahrheit zu Marie.” — “I say the truth to Marie.”
2. To say good morning to my neighbours — a second everyday use
Sagen also covers good morning to my neighbours. This use is very common in everyday speech, and it is the one learners meet next after the first. Example: “Du sagst Guten Morgen zu meinen Nachbarn.” — “You say good morning to my neighbours.”
3. To say a word to my brother — a third everyday use
In a third everyday situation, you use sagen for a word to my brother. 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 sagt ein Wort zu meinem Bruder.” — “He says a word to my brother.”
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 sagen is no exception. Use time expressions such as jeden Tag, immer or jede Woche to make the routine explicit. Example: “Wir sagen die Wahrheit zu Marie.” — “We say the truth to Marie.”
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 sagen 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 sagt Guten Morgen zu meinen Nachbarn.” — “You say good morning to my neighbours.”
Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the preterite describes a finished action in the past, 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 present sentences use words such as jeden Tag, while the preterite sentences use gestern. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.
Present (Präsens): “Ich sage die Wahrheit zu Marie.” — “I say the truth to Marie.”
Preterite: “Ich sagte die Wahrheit zu Marie.” — “I said the truth to Marie.”
The present sentence is about the present moment or a routine; the preterite sentence is about one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present (Präsens): “Du sagst Guten Morgen zu meinen Nachbarn.” — “You say good morning to my neighbours.”
Preterite: “Du sagtest Guten Morgen zu meinen Nachbarn.” — “You said good morning to my neighbours.”
The present sentence is about the present moment or a routine; the preterite sentence is about one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present (Präsens): “Wir sagen ein Wort zu meinem Bruder.” — “We say a word to my brother.”
Preterite: “Wir sagten ein Wort zu meinem Bruder.” — “We said a word to my brother.”
The present sentence is about the present moment or a routine; the preterite sentence is about one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: sagen in the present
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.
“Ich sage Guten Morgen zu meinen Nachbarn.” — “I say good morning to my neighbours.”
“Du sagst ein Wort zu meinem Bruder.” — “You say a word to my brother.”
“Er sagt die Wahrheit zu Marie.” — “He says the truth to Marie.”
“Wir sagen Guten Morgen zu meinen Nachbarn.” — “We say good morning to my neighbours.”
“Ihr sagt ein Wort zu meinem Bruder.” — “You say a word to my brother.”
“Sie sagen die Wahrheit zu Marie.” — “They say the truth to Marie.”
“Ich sage Guten Morgen zu meinen Nachbarn.” — “I say good morning to my neighbours.”
“Du sagst ein Wort zu meinem Bruder.” — “You say a word to my brother.”
Common mistakes with sagen in the present
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 sagen die Wahrheit zu Marie.” Right: “Ich sage die Wahrheit zu Marie.” Why: The ich form is sage, not sagen. Sagen belongs with sie. Mixing the two groups is the most common error with this verb.
Wrong: “Wir sagen die Wahrheit zu Marie.” Right: “Wir sagen die Wahrheit zu Marie.” Why: Wir keeps its own form: sagen, not sagen. Learn wir and ihr as a separate pair from the singular forms.
Wrong: “Ich sagen die Wahrheit zu Marie.” (infinitive with a subject) Right: “Ich sage die Wahrheit zu Marie.” Why: The infinitive sagen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form sage.
Wrong: “Ich sage die Wahrheit zu Marie gestern.” (a finished past action) Right: “Ich habe die Wahrheit zu Marie gesagt.” Why: The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt habe gesagt, not the present sage.
Quiz: sagen in the present
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.
What is the ich form of sagen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) sage
- B) sagst
- C) sagt
- D) sagen
What is the du form of sagen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) sagt
- B) sagen
- C) sagst
- D) sage
What is the er/sie/es form of sagen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) sagen
- B) sagt
- C) sage
- D) sagst
What is the wir form of sagen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) sagst
- B) sagt
- C) sagen
- D) sage
What is the ihr form of sagen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) sagen
- B) sagt
- C) sage
- D) sagst
What is the sie/Sie form of sagen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) sagst
- B) sagt
- C) sagen
- D) sage
7. What does sagen mean in English?
- A) to say
- B) to make, to do
- C) to give
- D) to see
8. What is the past participle of sagen?
- A) gesehen
- B) gesagt
- C) gemacht
- D) gegeben
Answer key
- A) sage — The ich form of sagen in the Present (Präsens) is sage.
- C) sagst — The du form of sagen in the Present (Präsens) is sagst.
- B) sagt — The er/sie/es form of sagen in the Present (Präsens) is sagt.
- C) sagen — The wir form of sagen in the Present (Präsens) is sagen.
- B) sagt — The ihr form of sagen in the Present (Präsens) is sagt.
- C) sagen — The sie/Sie form of sagen in the Present (Präsens) is sagen.
- A) to say — sagen means “to say”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
- B) gesagt — The past participle of sagen is gesagt; it is used with haben in the perfect tenses, while the present tense itself is formed from the stem plus the present endings.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present of sagen formed?
The present of sagen is regular: take the stem and add the present endings, giving ich sage, du sagst, er sagt, wir sagen, ihr sagt, sie sagen.
When do I use the present of sagen?
Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now — for example, “Ich sage die Wahrheit zu Marie.” — “I say the truth to Marie.” For a finished past action, use the Perfekt instead.
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of sagen?
The present describes what is true now or happens regularly; the preterite describes one finished action in the past. Compare “Ich sage die Wahrheit zu Marie.” with “Ich sagte die Wahrheit zu Marie.” — the first is now, the second is the past as a finished event.
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for sagen, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of sagen — every tense of sagen in one place.
- Sagen in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Sagen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Machen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Geben conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Sehen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- 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.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise sagen with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise sagen with the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — practise sagen with the interactive tool.