Schreiben Conjugation in German
schreiben means “to write” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 25 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You will meet it in everyday sentences such as “Ich schreibe einen Brief an Marie.” — “I write a letter to Marie.” — 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 schreiben — every tense, every person, the present participle and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: schreiben
- English: to write
- Verb type: Irregular
- Irregular in: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative
- Present participle (Partizip I): schreibend
- Past participle (Partizip II): geschrieben
- 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 schreiben, 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 schreiben in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about schreiben
- 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 geschrieben. 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 schreibend and geschrieben: 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 schreiben. 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 | schreibe |
| du | schreibst |
| er/sie/es | schreibt |
| wir | schreiben |
| ihr | schreibt |
| sie/Sie | schreiben |
The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With schreiben 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 schreibe ein Buch über Berlin.” — “I write a book about Berlin.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | schrieb |
| du | schriebst |
| er/sie/es | schrieb |
| wir | schrieben |
| ihr | schriebt |
| sie/Sie | schrieben |
The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. With schreiben 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 schriebst ein Buch über Berlin.” — “You wrote a book about Berlin.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe geschrieben |
| du | hast geschrieben |
| er/sie/es | hat geschrieben |
| wir | haben geschrieben |
| ihr | habt geschrieben |
| sie/Sie | haben geschrieben |
The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. For example: “Er hat ein Buch über Berlin geschrieben.” — “He has written a book about Berlin.”
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hatte geschrieben |
| du | hattest geschrieben |
| er/sie/es | hatte geschrieben |
| wir | hatten geschrieben |
| ihr | hattet geschrieben |
| sie/Sie | hatten geschrieben |
The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Ich hatte ein Buch über Berlin geschrieben.” — “I had written a book about Berlin.”
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde schreiben |
| du | wirst schreiben |
| er/sie/es | wird schreiben |
| wir | werden schreiben |
| ihr | werdet schreiben |
| sie/Sie | werden schreiben |
The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for intentions. For example: “Ich werde ein Buch über Berlin schreiben.” — “I will write a book about Berlin.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde geschrieben haben |
| du | wirst geschrieben haben |
| er/sie/es | wird geschrieben haben |
| wir | werden geschrieben haben |
| ihr | werdet geschrieben haben |
| sie/Sie | werden geschrieben haben |
The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Du wirst ein Buch über Berlin geschrieben haben.” — “You will have written a book about Berlin.”
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | schreibe |
| du | schreibest |
| er/sie/es | schreibe |
| wir | schreiben |
| ihr | schreibet |
| sie/Sie | schreiben |
Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech — reporting what someone else said — and in formal written German. For example: “Er schreibe ein Buch über Berlin.” — “He writes a book about Berlin.”
Konjunktiv II (conditional)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | schriebe |
| du | schriebest |
| er/sie/es | schriebe |
| wir | schrieben |
| ihr | schriebet |
| sie/Sie | schrieben |
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 schriebe ein Buch über Berlin.” — “I would write a book about Berlin.”
Conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + participle)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hätte geschrieben |
| du | hättest geschrieben |
| er/sie/es | hätte geschrieben |
| wir | hätten geschrieben |
| ihr | hättet geschrieben |
| sie/Sie | hätten geschrieben |
The conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + past participle) is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er hätte ein Buch über Berlin geschrieben.” — “He would have written a book about Berlin.”
Imperative (Imperativ)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | schreib |
| wir | schreiben |
| ihr | schreibt |
| sie/Sie | schreiben |
The imperative (Imperativ) is used for direct commands, requests and instructions. With schreiben 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: “Schreib ein Buch über Berlin!” — “Write a book about Berlin!”
Present participle (Partizip I)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle (Partizip I) | schreibend |
The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective or adverb, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle schreibend 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) | geschrieben |
The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich habe einen Brief an Marie geschrieben.” — “I have written a letter to Marie.”
Infinitive (Infinitiv)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | schreiben |
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 schreiben, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich schreibe einen Brief an Marie.” — “I write a letter to Marie.”
- “Du schriebst ein Buch über Berlin.” — “You wrote a book about Berlin.”
- “Er hat jeden Tag in mein Tagebuch geschrieben.” — “He has written in my diary every day.”
- “Ich werde einen Brief an Marie schreiben.” — “I will write a letter to Marie.”
- “Du schriebest ein Buch über Berlin.” — “You would write a book about Berlin.”
- “Ich hatte jeden Tag in mein Tagebuch geschrieben.” — “I had written in my diary every day.”
- “Du wirst ein Buch über Berlin geschrieben haben.” — “You will have written a book about Berlin.”
- “Er schreibe jeden Tag in mein Tagebuch.” — “He writes in my diary every day.”
- “Ich hätte einen Brief an Marie geschrieben.” — “I would have written a letter to Marie.”
- “Schreib einen Brief an Marie!” — “Write a letter to Marie!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich schreiben einen Brief an Marie.”
✓ Right: “Ich schreibe einen Brief an Marie.”
The infinitive schreiben never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form schreibe.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Ich schreiben einen Brief an Marie.”
✓ Right: “Ich schreibe einen Brief an Marie.”
schreiben is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with schreibe.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Ich schreibe einen Brief an Marie gestern.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe einen Brief an Marie geschrieben.”
The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt habe geschrieben, not the present.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich bin einen Brief an Marie geschrieben.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe einen Brief an Marie geschrieben.”
The Perfekt of schreiben is formed with haben plus the past participle geschrieben: the ich form is habe geschrieben. 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 schrieb einen Brief an Marie gestern.” (in everyday speech)
✓ Right: “Ich habe einen Brief an Marie geschrieben.”
In everyday spoken German the Perfekt habe geschrieben is the usual past tense. The preterite schrieb is correct in writing and in stories, but it sounds formal in conversation.
6. Using the du form when talking to a group
✗ Wrong: “Schreib einen Brief an Marie!” (said to several people)
✓ Right: “Schreibt einen Brief an Marie!”
The du imperative schreib is for one person you know well. For a group, use the ihr form schreibt.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on schreiben. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the ich form of schreiben in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) schreibst
- B) schreibt
- C) schreiben
- D) schreibe
What is the er/sie/es form of schreiben in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) schrieb
- B) schriebst
- C) schrieben
- D) schriebt
What is the er/sie/es form of schreiben in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) hat geschrieben
- B) habe geschrieben
- C) hast geschrieben
- D) haben geschrieben
What is the du form of schreiben in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) wirst schreiben
- B) werde schreiben
- C) wird schreiben
- D) werden schreiben
What is the ich form of schreiben in the Konjunktiv II (conditional)?
- A) schriebest
- B) schrieben
- C) schriebet
- D) schriebe
What is the wir form of schreiben in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) hattet geschrieben
- B) hatten geschrieben
- C) hatte geschrieben
- D) hattest geschrieben
What is the er/sie/es form of schreiben in the Konjunktiv I?
- A) schreibest
- B) schreiben
- C) schreibet
- D) schreibe
What is the du form of schreiben in the Imperative (Imperativ)?
- A) schreib
- B) schreiben
- C) schreibt
- D) schreibst
What is the past participle of schreiben?
- A) geliebt
- B) geschrieben
- C) verstanden
- D) gekannt
What does schreiben mean in English?
- A) to know
- B) to love
- C) to write
- D) to understand
Answer key
- D) schreibe — the ich form of schreiben in the Present (Präsens) is schreibe. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) schrieb — the er/sie/es form of schreiben in the Preterite (Präteritum) is schrieb. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) hat geschrieben — the er/sie/es form of schreiben in the Perfect (Perfekt) is hat geschrieben. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) wirst schreiben — the du form of schreiben in the Future (Futur I) is wirst schreiben. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) schriebe — the ich form of schreiben in the Konjunktiv II (conditional) is schriebe. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) hatten geschrieben — the wir form of schreiben in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is hatten geschrieben. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) schreibe — the er/sie/es form of schreiben in the Konjunktiv I is schreibe. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) schreib — the du form of schreiben in the Imperative (Imperativ) is schreib. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) geschrieben — the past participle of schreiben is geschrieben; it is used with haben in the perfect tenses. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- C) to write — schreiben means “to write” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does schreiben mean in English?
schreiben means “to write”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is schreiben regular or irregular?
schreiben is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. The present participle is schreibend and the past participle is geschrieben.
What are the participles of schreiben?
The present participle (Partizip I) is schreibend — use it as an adjective for an ongoing action. The past participle (Partizip II) is geschrieben — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe geschrieben.
Which auxiliary does schreiben take in the Perfekt?
schreiben takes haben in the Perfekt: the ich form is habe geschrieben. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with haben plus the past participle geschrieben.
Does German have a separate conditional tense?
No. Konjunktiv II doubles as the conditional: the ich form schriebe 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 geschrieben covers “would have” meanings.
How do I say “I write a letter to Marie” in German?
Say “Ich schreibe einen Brief an Marie.” — “I write a letter to Marie.” The ich form of the present is schreibe, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of schreiben — every tense of schreiben in one place.
- Schreiben in the Perfekt tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Schreiben examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Verstehen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Kennen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Lieben 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 schreiben with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise schreiben with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise schreiben with the interactive tool.