Schicken Present Tense Conjugation in German
The present tense of schicken — “to send” — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. This page gives you the complete present tense table for schicken, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Ich schicke einen Brief an meine Freundin.” — “I send a letter to my friend.”
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for schicken, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Present Tense conjugation of schicken
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for schicken. schicken is a regular weak verb, so you can build the present tense from the regular endings once you know the stem.
Present (Präsens) — schicken
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | schicke |
| du | schickst |
| er/sie/es | schickt |
| wir | schicken |
| ihr | schickt |
| sie/Sie | schicken |
The present participle of schicken is schickend and the past participle is geschickt. You need the participle for the perfect tenses, and the present participle for adjectival use.
How the present tense of schicken is formed
For a regular weak verb, the present tense is built on the stem schick- (the infinitive schicken without its -en ending) plus the present tense endings: ich → schicke, du → schickst, er/sie/es → schickt, wir → schicken, ihr → schickt, sie/Sie → schicken. So schicken gives schicke, schickst, schickt, schicken, schickt, schicken.
When to use the present tense of schicken
1. Habits and routines
Use the present tense for habits and routines. For example, with schicken: “Ich schicke einen Brief an meine Freundin.” — “I send a letter to my friend.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
2. General truths and facts
Use the present tense for general truths and facts. For example, with schicken: “Du schickst einen Brief an meine Freundin.” — “You send a letter to my friend.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
3. What is happening right now
Use the present tense for what is happening right now. For example, with schicken: “Er schickt einen Brief an meine Freundin.” — “He sends a letter to my friend.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
4. Scheduled plans and the near future
Use the present tense for scheduled plans and the near future. For example, with schicken: “Wir schicken einen Brief an meine Freundin.” — “We send a letter to my friend.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
5. Narration and instructions
Use the present tense for narration and instructions. For example, with schicken: “Sie schicken einen Brief an meine Freundin.” — “They send a letter to my friend.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Present vs future: schicken now, schicken later
The present and the future both talk about things that have not happened yet in one sense, but they are not interchangeable. The present is for what is true now or already fixed; the future is for what will happen and is not yet certain. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the future form from the full conjugation table.
Present: “Ich schicke einen Brief an meine Freundin.” — “I send a letter to my friend.”
Future: “Ich werde einen Brief an meine Freundin schicken.” — “I will send a letter to my friend.”
Present: “Du schickst einen Brief an meine Freundin.” — “You send a letter to my friend.”
Future: “Du wirst einen Brief an meine Freundin schicken.” — “You will send a letter to my friend.”
Present: “Wir schicken einen Brief an meine Freundin.” — “We send a letter to my friend.”
Future: “Wir werden einen Brief an meine Freundin schicken.” — “We will send a letter to my friend.”
Example sentences: schicken in the present tense
Six sentences using only the present tense of schicken, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “Ich schicke einen Brief an meine Freundin.” — “I send a letter to my friend.”
- “Du schickst einen Brief an meine Freundin.” — “You send a letter to my friend.”
- “Er schickt einen Brief an meine Freundin.” — “He sends a letter to my friend.”
- “Wir schicken einen Brief an meine Freundin.” — “We send a letter to my friend.”
- “Ihr schickt einen Brief an meine Freundin.” — “You send a letter to my friend.”
- “Sie schicken einen Brief an meine Freundin.” — “They send a letter to my friend.”
Common mistakes with schicken in the present tense
1. Using the infinitive instead of the present
✗ Wrong: “Ich schicken einen Brief an meine Freundin.”
✓ Right: “Ich schicke einen Brief an meine Freundin.”
The infinitive never takes a subject; use the conjugated form schicke.
2. Mixing up the persons
✗ Wrong: “Du schicke einen Brief an meine Freundin.”
✓ Right: “Du schickst einen Brief an meine Freundin.”
After du you need schickst, not the ich form schicke. Each person has its own ending.
3. Using the future for a habit
✗ Wrong: “Ich werde einen Brief an meine Freundin schicken.”
✓ Right: “Ich schicke einen Brief an meine Freundin.”
A habit that happens every day takes the present (schicke), not the future.
4. Using the Präteritum for something happening now
✗ Wrong: “Ich schickte einen Brief an meine Freundin.”
✓ Right: “Ich schicke einen Brief an meine Freundin.”
Something happening right now takes the present (schicke), not the Präteritum.
Quiz: schicken in the present tense
What is the ich form of schicken in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) schicken
- B) schicke
- C) schickst
- D) schickt
What is the du form of schicken in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) schickst
- B) schickt
- C) schicke
- D) schicken
What is the er/sie/es form of schicken in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) schickst
- B) schicken
- C) schicke
- D) schickt
What is the wir form of schicken in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) schickst
- B) schickt
- C) schicken
- D) schicke
What is the ihr form of schicken in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) schickt
- B) schickst
- C) schicken
- D) schicke
What is the sie/Sie form of schicken in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) schicke
- B) schickst
- C) schickt
- D) schicken
What is the past participle of schicken?
- A) schickte
- B) geschickt
- C) schickend
- D) schicke
Which auxiliary does schicken take in the Perfekt?
- A) werden
- B) sein
- C) haben
Answer key
- B) schicke — the ich form of schicken in the present tense is schicke.
- A) schickst — the du form of schicken in the present tense is schickst.
- D) schickt — the er/sie/es form of schicken in the present tense is schickt.
- C) schicken — the wir form of schicken in the present tense is schicken.
- A) schickt — the ihr form of schicken in the present tense is schickt.
- D) schicken — the sie/Sie form of schicken in the present tense is schicken.
- B) geschickt — the past participle of schicken is geschickt; the Perfekt uses haben + geschickt.
- C) haben — schicken takes haben in the Perfekt: habe geschickt.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of schicken formed?
From the stem plus the present endings: ich → schicke, du → schickst, er/sie/es → schickt, wir → schicken, ihr → schickt, sie/Sie → schicken. The German present tense guide explains the pattern for all verbs.
Is schicken regular in the present tense?
Yes — schicken is regular in the present tense: the forms follow the standard pattern. The full picture, including the irregular tenses if any, is on the full conjugation page.
What is the past participle of schicken?
The past participle is geschickt. Use it with haben for the Perfekt, as in habe geschickt, and with haben in the past for the Plusquamperfekt, as in hatte geschickt.
Related pages
- schicken conjugation — the full conjugation tables for this verb in every tense.
- schicken examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- German verbs — the full hub of German conjugation pages.
- German present tense guide — how this tense works for regular verbs.
- Einladen conjugation — another German verb to practise with.
- Treffen conjugation — another German verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise schicken with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise schicken with the interactive tool.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise the present tense with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.