Schwimmen Conjugation in German
schwimmen means “to swim” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 72 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You use it whenever you talk about swimming in the lake, 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 schwimmen — every tense, every person, both participles and the infinitive — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Ich schwimme im See jeden Tag.” — “I swim in the lake every day.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: schwimmen
- English: to swim
- Verb type: Irregular
- Irregular in: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative
- Pattern: strong
- Separable: no
- Participle I: schwimmend
- Past participle (Partizip II): geschwommen
- Auxiliary: sein (all perfect tenses are formed with sein + the past participle)
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for schwimmen, 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 schwimmen in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about schwimmen
- 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 sein: the perfect is formed with sein in the present plus the past participle geschwommen. The tables on this page give the participle in the uninflected form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.
- Partizip I is schwimmend and Partizip II is geschwommen: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because Partizip I appears in adjectival uses and Partizip II 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 schwimmen. 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 | schwimme |
| du | schwimmst |
| er/sie/es | schwimmt |
| wir | schwimmen |
| ihr | schwimmt |
| sie/Sie | schwimmen |
The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With schwimmen 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 schwimme im Meer jeden Tag.” — “I swim in the sea every day.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | schwamm |
| du | schwammst |
| er/sie/es | schwamm |
| wir | schwammen |
| ihr | schwammt |
| sie/Sie | schwammen |
The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. With schwimmen 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 schwammst im Meer gestern.” — “You swam in the sea yesterday.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | bin geschwommen |
| du | bist geschwommen |
| er/sie/es | ist geschwommen |
| wir | sind geschwommen |
| ihr | seid geschwommen |
| sie/Sie | sind geschwommen |
The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. For example: “Er ist im Meer geschwommen gestern.” — “He has swum in the sea yesterday.”
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | war geschwommen |
| du | warst geschwommen |
| er/sie/es | war geschwommen |
| wir | waren geschwommen |
| ihr | wart geschwommen |
| sie/Sie | waren geschwommen |
The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Wir waren im Meer geschwommen vor der Party.” — “We had swum in the sea before the party.”
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde schwimmen |
| du | wirst schwimmen |
| er/sie/es | wird schwimmen |
| wir | werden schwimmen |
| ihr | werdet schwimmen |
| sie/Sie | werden schwimmen |
The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Ich werde im Meer schwimmen morgen.” — “I will swim in the sea tomorrow.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde geschwommen sein |
| du | wirst geschwommen sein |
| er/sie/es | wird geschwommen sein |
| wir | werden geschwommen sein |
| ihr | werdet geschwommen sein |
| sie/Sie | werden geschwommen sein |
The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Du wirst im Meer geschwommen sein bis morgen.” — “You will have swum in the sea by tomorrow.”
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | schwimme |
| du | schwimmest |
| er/sie/es | schwimme |
| wir | schwimmen |
| ihr | schwimmet |
| sie/Sie | schwimmen |
Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech and indirect quotation. For example: “Es ist wichtig, dass er schwimme im Meer.” — “It is important that he swim in the sea.”
Konjunktiv II
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | schwämme |
| du | schwämmest |
| er/sie/es | schwämme |
| wir | schwämmen |
| ihr | schwämmet |
| sie/Sie | schwämmen |
Konjunktiv II is used for wishes, hypothetical situations and polite requests. It doubles as the conditional: there is no separate würde tense in the tables, and the periphrastic alternative with würde plus the infinitive is a way of expressing the same meaning, not a tense of its own. For example: “Ich schwämme im Meer eines Tages.” — “I would swim in the sea one day.”
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | wäre geschwommen |
| du | wärst geschwommen |
| er/sie/es | wäre geschwommen |
| wir | wären geschwommen |
| ihr | wärt geschwommen |
| sie/Sie | wären geschwommen |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er wäre im Meer geschwommen gestern.” — “He would have swum in the sea yesterday.”
Imperative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | schwimm |
| wir | schwimmen |
| ihr | schwimmt |
| sie | schwimmen |
The imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. With schwimmen 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: “Schwimm im Meer!” — “Swim in the sea!”
Present participle (Partizip I)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle | schwimmend |
The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective and for describing an action in progress. For example, the participle schwimmend describes something that is swimming. The present-tense sentence “Ich schwimme im See jeden Tag.” — “I swim in the lake every day.” shows the same verb in action.
Past participle (Partizip II)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Past participle | geschwommen |
The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich bin im See geschwommen gestern.” — “I have swum in the lake yesterday.”
Infinitive
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | schwimmen |
The infinitive is the dictionary form of the verb, used after modal verbs and in infinitive constructions. The infinitive schwimmen is the form you look up in a dictionary. In a sentence it appears after a modal verb or with zu, and in the future it follows werden, as in “Ich werde im See schwimmen morgen.” — “I will swim in the lake tomorrow.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with schwimmen, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich schwimme im See jeden Tag.” — “I swim in the lake every day.”
- “Du schwammst im Meer gestern.” — “You swam in the sea yesterday.”
- “Er ist im Schwimmbad geschwommen gestern.” — “He has swum in the swimming pool yesterday.”
- “Wir waren im See geschwommen vor der Party.” — “We had swum in the lake before the party.”
- “Ich werde im Meer schwimmen morgen.” — “I will swim in the sea tomorrow.”
- “Du wirst im Schwimmbad geschwommen sein bis morgen.” — “You will have swum in the swimming pool by tomorrow.”
- “Es ist wichtig, dass er schwimme im See.” — “It is important that he swim in the lake.”
- “Ich schwämme im Meer eines Tages.” — “I would swim in the sea one day.”
- “Er wäre im Schwimmbad geschwommen gestern.” — “He would have swum in the swimming pool yesterday.”
- “Schwimm im See!” — “Swim in the lake!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich schwimmen im See.”
✓ Right: “Ich schwimme im See.”
The infinitive schwimmen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form schwimme.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Ich schwimmen im See.”
✓ Right: “Ich schwimme im See.”
schwimmen is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with schwimme.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Ich schwimme im See gestern.”
✓ Right: “Ich bin im See geschwommen gestern.”
The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt bin geschwommen, not the present.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich schwimme im See.”
✓ Right: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich schwimme im See.”
After es ist wichtig, dass German needs Konjunktiv I, so use schwimme here, not the indicative schwimme.
5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich habe geschwommen im See.”
✓ Right: “bin geschwommen im See.”
The Perfekt of schwimmen is formed with sein plus the past participle geschwommen: the ich form is bin geschwommen. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
6. Using the preterite for a daily habit
✗ Wrong: “Ich schwamm im See jeden Tag.”
✓ Right: “Ich schwimme im See jeden Tag.”
The preterite schwamm describes a past action. For something you do every day, use the present schwimme.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on schwimmen. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the ich form of schwimmen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) schwimmst
- B) schwimmt
- C) schwimmen
- D) schwimme
What is the du form of schwimmen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) schwammt
- B) schwammst
- C) schwamm
- D) schwammen
What is the er/sie/es form of schwimmen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) bin geschwommen
- B) bist geschwommen
- C) sind geschwommen
- D) ist geschwommen
What is the wir form of schwimmen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) warst geschwommen
- B) wart geschwommen
- C) waren geschwommen
- D) war geschwommen
What is the du form of schwimmen in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) wirst schwimmen
- B) werde schwimmen
- C) wird schwimmen
- D) werden schwimmen
What is the ich form of schwimmen in the Future perfect (Futur II)?
- A) werden geschwommen sein
- B) werde geschwommen sein
- C) wirst geschwommen sein
- D) wird geschwommen sein
What is the er/sie/es form of schwimmen in the Konjunktiv I?
- A) schwimmest
- B) schwimmen
- C) schwimmet
- D) schwimme
What is the ich form of schwimmen in the Konjunktiv II?
- A) schwämme
- B) schwämmest
- C) schwämmen
- D) schwämmet
What is the present participle (Partizip I) of schwimmen?
- A) singend
- B) schwimmend
- C) fliegend
- D) tanzend
What does schwimmen mean in English?
- A) to sing
- B) to swim
- C) to fly
- D) to dance
Answer key
- D) schwimme — the ich form of schwimmen in the Present (Präsens) is schwimme. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) schwammst — the du form of schwimmen in the Preterite (Präteritum) is schwammst. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) ist geschwommen — the er/sie/es form of schwimmen in the Perfect (Perfekt) is ist geschwommen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) waren geschwommen — the wir form of schwimmen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is waren geschwommen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) wirst schwimmen — the du form of schwimmen in the Future (Futur I) is wirst schwimmen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) werde geschwommen sein — the ich form of schwimmen in the Future perfect (Futur II) is werde geschwommen sein. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) schwimme — the er/sie/es form of schwimmen in the Konjunktiv I is schwimme. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) schwämme — the ich form of schwimmen in the Konjunktiv II is schwämme. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) schwimmend — the present participle (Partizip I) of schwimmen is schwimmend. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- B) to swim — schwimmen means “to swim” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does schwimmen mean in English?
schwimmen means “to swim”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is schwimmen regular or irregular?
schwimmen is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. Partizip I is schwimmend and Partizip II is geschwommen.
What are the participles of schwimmen?
Partizip I is schwimmend — use it as an adjective. Partizip II is geschwommen — use it with sein for the perfect tenses, as in bin geschwommen.
Which auxiliary does schwimmen take in the Perfekt?
schwimmen takes sein in the Perfekt: the ich form is bin geschwommen. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with sein plus the past participle geschwommen.
How do I say “I swim” in German?
Say “Ich schwimme im See jeden Tag.” — “I swim in the lake every day.” The ich form of the present is schwimme, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of schwimmen — every tense of schwimmen in one place.
- Schwimmen in the Perfekt tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Schwimmen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Fliegen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Tanzen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Singen 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 schwimmen with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise schwimmen with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise schwimmen with the interactive tool.