Schlafen Conjugation in German
schlafen means “to sleep” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 30 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You will meet it in everyday sentences such as “Ich schlafe gut heute Nacht.” — “I sleep well tonight.” — and because it comes up in everyday conversation so often, learning its forms properly pays off from the very first week. This page gives you the complete conjugation of schlafen — every tense, every person, the present participle and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: schlafen
- English: to sleep
- Verb type: Irregular
- Irregular in: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative
- Present participle (Partizip I): schlafend
- Past participle (Partizip II): geschlafen
- Auxiliary: haben (all perfect tenses are formed with haben + the past participle)
- Pattern: strong in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for schlafen, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Learn the spelling of the forms first, and listen to a native speaker for the sounds rather than trusting an invented transcription. The forms below are the ones that matter: once you can read schlafen in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about schlafen
- It is irregular in 4 tense(s): present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. Learn those forms as a set rather than guessing them from the infinitive, because the regular pattern will not produce them.
- The perfect tenses use haben: the Perfekt is formed with haben in the present plus the past participle geschlafen. The tables on this page give the participle in the form exactly as it appears in the verified dump; the participle itself does not change for person, only the auxiliary does.
- The participles are schlafend and geschlafen: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because the present participle appears as an adjective and the past participle appears in every perfect tense. If you know those two forms and the present tense, you already know the skeleton of the whole conjugation.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for schlafen. Learn the present tense first, then the Perfekt and the preterite, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present (Präsens)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | schlafe |
| du | schläfst |
| er/sie/es | schläft |
| wir | schlafen |
| ihr | schlaft |
| sie/Sie | schlafen |
The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With schlafen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Ich schlafe acht Stunden.” — “I sleep eight hours.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | schlief |
| du | schliefst |
| er/sie/es | schlief |
| wir | schliefen |
| ihr | schlieft |
| sie/Sie | schliefen |
The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. With schlafen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Du schliefst acht Stunden.” — “You slept eight hours.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe geschlafen |
| du | hast geschlafen |
| er/sie/es | hat geschlafen |
| wir | haben geschlafen |
| ihr | habt geschlafen |
| sie/Sie | haben geschlafen |
The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. For example: “Er hat acht Stunden geschlafen.” — “He has slept eight hours.”
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hatte geschlafen |
| du | hattest geschlafen |
| er/sie/es | hatte geschlafen |
| wir | hatten geschlafen |
| ihr | hattet geschlafen |
| sie/Sie | hatten geschlafen |
The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Ich hatte acht Stunden geschlafen.” — “I had slept eight hours.”
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde schlafen |
| du | wirst schlafen |
| er/sie/es | wird schlafen |
| wir | werden schlafen |
| ihr | werdet schlafen |
| sie/Sie | werden schlafen |
The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for intentions. For example: “Ich werde acht Stunden schlafen.” — “I will sleep eight hours.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde geschlafen haben |
| du | wirst geschlafen haben |
| er/sie/es | wird geschlafen haben |
| wir | werden geschlafen haben |
| ihr | werdet geschlafen haben |
| sie/Sie | werden geschlafen haben |
The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Du wirst acht Stunden geschlafen haben.” — “You will have slept eight hours.”
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | schlafe |
| du | schlafest |
| er/sie/es | schlafe |
| wir | schlafen |
| ihr | schlafet |
| sie/Sie | schlafen |
Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech — reporting what someone else said — and in formal written German. For example: “Er schlafe acht Stunden.” — “He sleeps eight hours.”
Konjunktiv II (conditional)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | schliefe |
| du | schliefest |
| er/sie/es | schliefe |
| wir | schliefen |
| ihr | schliefet |
| sie/Sie | schliefen |
Konjunktiv II is used for hypothetical situations, wishes and polite requests. It doubles as the German conditional: there is no separate conditional tense, and the periphrastic alternative with würde + infinitive is not an engine tense. For example: “Ich schliefe acht Stunden.” — “I would sleep eight hours.”
Conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + participle)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hätte geschlafen |
| du | hättest geschlafen |
| er/sie/es | hätte geschlafen |
| wir | hätten geschlafen |
| ihr | hättet geschlafen |
| sie/Sie | hätten geschlafen |
The conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + past participle) is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er hätte acht Stunden geschlafen.” — “He would have slept eight hours.”
Imperative (Imperativ)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | schlaf |
| wir | schlafen |
| ihr | schlaft |
| sie/Sie | schlafen |
The imperative (Imperativ) is used for direct commands, requests and instructions. With schlafen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Schlaf acht Stunden!” — “Sleep eight hours!”
Present participle (Partizip I)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle (Partizip I) | schlafend |
The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective or adverb, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle schlafend is used to describe something that is happening at the same time as the main action, much like an English -ing adjective.
Past participle (Partizip II)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Past participle (Partizip II) | geschlafen |
The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich habe gut heute Nacht geschlafen.” — “I have slept well tonight.”
Infinitive (Infinitiv)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | schlafen |
The infinitive is the dictionary form of the verb, used after modal verbs and other verbs that take an infinitive. The infinitive is the dictionary form of the verb: it is the form you look up, and the form that follows modal verbs and other verbs that take an infinitive.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with schlafen, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich schlafe gut heute Nacht.” — “I sleep well tonight.”
- “Du schliefst acht Stunden.” — “You slept eight hours.”
- “Er hat früh am Abend geschlafen.” — “He has slept early in the evening.”
- “Ich werde gut heute Nacht schlafen.” — “I will sleep well tonight.”
- “Du schliefest acht Stunden.” — “You would sleep eight hours.”
- “Ich hatte früh am Abend geschlafen.” — “I had slept early in the evening.”
- “Du wirst acht Stunden geschlafen haben.” — “You will have slept eight hours.”
- “Er schlafe früh am Abend.” — “He sleeps early in the evening.”
- “Ich hätte gut heute Nacht geschlafen.” — “I would have slept well tonight.”
- “Schlaf gut heute Nacht!” — “Sleep well tonight!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich schlafen gut heute Nacht.”
✓ Right: “Ich schlafe gut heute Nacht.”
The infinitive schlafen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form schlafe.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Ich schlafen gut heute Nacht.”
✓ Right: “Ich schlafe gut heute Nacht.”
schlafen is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with schlafe.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Ich schlafe gut heute Nacht gestern.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe gut heute Nacht geschlafen.”
The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt habe geschlafen, not the present.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich bin gut heute Nacht geschlafen.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe gut heute Nacht geschlafen.”
The Perfekt of schlafen is formed with haben plus the past participle geschlafen: the ich form is habe geschlafen. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
5. Using the preterite where spoken German prefers the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich schlief gut heute Nacht gestern.” (in everyday speech)
✓ Right: “Ich habe gut heute Nacht geschlafen.”
In everyday spoken German the Perfekt habe geschlafen is the usual past tense. The preterite schlief is correct in writing and in stories, but it sounds formal in conversation.
6. Using the du form when talking to a group
✗ Wrong: “Schlaf gut heute Nacht!” (said to several people)
✓ Right: “Schlaft gut heute Nacht!”
The du imperative schlaf is for one person you know well. For a group, use the ihr form schlaft.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on schlafen. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the ich form of schlafen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) schläft
- B) schlafen
- C) schlafe
- D) schläfst
What is the er/sie/es form of schlafen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) schliefen
- B) schlieft
- C) schlief
- D) schliefst
What is the er/sie/es form of schlafen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) habe geschlafen
- B) hast geschlafen
- C) haben geschlafen
- D) hat geschlafen
What is the du form of schlafen in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) werde schlafen
- B) wird schlafen
- C) werden schlafen
- D) wirst schlafen
What is the ich form of schlafen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional)?
- A) schliefet
- B) schliefe
- C) schliefest
- D) schliefen
What is the wir form of schlafen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) hatten geschlafen
- B) hatte geschlafen
- C) hattest geschlafen
- D) hattet geschlafen
What is the er/sie/es form of schlafen in the Konjunktiv I?
- A) schlafen
- B) schlafet
- C) schlafe
- D) schlafest
What is the du form of schlafen in the Imperative (Imperativ)?
- A) schlafen
- B) schlaft
- C) schläfst
- D) schlaf
What is the past participle of schlafen?
- A) geschlafen
- B) aufgestanden
- C) angefangen
- D) aufgehört
What does schlafen mean in English?
- A) to sleep
- B) to get up
- C) to start
- D) to stop
Answer key
- C) schlafe — the ich form of schlafen in the Present (Präsens) is schlafe. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) schlief — the er/sie/es form of schlafen in the Preterite (Präteritum) is schlief. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) hat geschlafen — the er/sie/es form of schlafen in the Perfect (Perfekt) is hat geschlafen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) wirst schlafen — the du form of schlafen in the Future (Futur I) is wirst schlafen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) schliefe — the ich form of schlafen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional) is schliefe. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) hatten geschlafen — the wir form of schlafen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is hatten geschlafen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) schlafe — the er/sie/es form of schlafen in the Konjunktiv I is schlafe. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) schlaf — the du form of schlafen in the Imperative (Imperativ) is schlaf. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) geschlafen — the past participle of schlafen is geschlafen; it is used with haben in the perfect tenses. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- A) to sleep — schlafen means “to sleep” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does schlafen mean in English?
schlafen means “to sleep”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is schlafen regular or irregular?
schlafen is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. The present participle is schlafend and the past participle is geschlafen.
What are the participles of schlafen?
The present participle (Partizip I) is schlafend — use it as an adjective for an ongoing action. The past participle (Partizip II) is geschlafen — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe geschlafen.
Which auxiliary does schlafen take in the Perfekt?
schlafen takes haben in the Perfekt: the ich form is habe geschlafen. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with haben plus the past participle geschlafen.
Does German have a separate conditional tense?
No. Konjunktiv II doubles as the conditional: the ich form schliefe is the form you use for “would” meanings, and the periphrastic alternative with würde + infinitive is not a separate engine tense. The conditional perfect hätte geschlafen covers “would have” meanings.
How do I say “I sleep well tonight” in German?
Say “Ich schlafe gut heute Nacht.” — “I sleep well tonight.” The ich form of the present is schlafe, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of schlafen — every tense of schlafen in one place.
- Schlafen in the Perfekt tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Schlafen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Aufstehen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Anfangen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Aufhören conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- German irregular verbs — every common irregular German verb, grouped by pattern.
- 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.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — practise schlafen with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise schlafen with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise schlafen with the interactive tool.