Sein Conjugation in German

sein means “to be” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 1 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You will meet it in everyday sentences such as “Ich bin Lehrer in Berlin.” — “I am a teacher in Berlin.” — 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 sein — every tense, every person, the present participle and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: sein
  • English: to be
  • Verb type: Irregular
  • Irregular in: present, preterite, perfect, pluperfect, future, future-perfect, konjunktiv-1, konjunktiv-2, conditional-perfect, imperative, past-participle
  • Present participle (Partizip I): seiend
  • Past participle (Partizip II): gewesen
  • Auxiliary: sein (all perfect tenses are formed with sein + the past participle)
  • Pattern: weak in the verified tables

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for sein, 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 sein in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.

Three things to remember about sein

  1. It is irregular in 11 tense(s): present, preterite, perfect, pluperfect, future, future-perfect, konjunktiv-1, konjunktiv-2, conditional-perfect, imperative, past-participle. Learn those forms as a set rather than guessing them from the infinitive, because the regular pattern will not produce them.
  2. The perfect tenses use sein: the Perfekt is formed with sein in the present plus the past participle gewesen. 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.
  3. The participles are seiend and gewesen: 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 sein. 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 bin
du bist
er/sie/es ist
wir sind
ihr seid
sie/Sie sind

The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With sein 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 bin müde heute.” — “I am tired today.”

Preterite (Präteritum)

Person Form
ich war
du warst
er/sie/es war
wir waren
ihr wart
sie/Sie waren

The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. With sein 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 warst müde heute.” — “You were tired today.”

Perfect (Perfekt)

Person Form
ich bin gewesen
du bist gewesen
er/sie/es ist gewesen
wir sind gewesen
ihr seid gewesen
sie/Sie sind gewesen

The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. With sein 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: “Er ist müde heute gewesen.” — “He has been tired today.”

Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)

Person Form
ich war gewesen
du warst gewesen
er/sie/es war gewesen
wir waren gewesen
ihr wart gewesen
sie/Sie waren gewesen

The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. With sein 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 war müde heute gewesen.” — “I had been tired today.”

Future (Futur I)

Person Form
ich werde sein
du wirst sein
er/sie/es wird sein
wir werden sein
ihr werdet sein
sie/Sie werden sein

The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for intentions. With sein 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 werde müde heute sein.” — “I will be tired today.”

Future perfect (Futur II)

Person Form
ich werde gewesen sein
du wirst gewesen sein
er/sie/es wird gewesen sein
wir werden gewesen sein
ihr werdet gewesen sein
sie/Sie werden gewesen sein

The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. With sein 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 wirst müde heute gewesen sein.” — “You will have been tired today.”

Konjunktiv I

Person Form
ich sei
du seist
er/sie/es sei
wir seien
ihr seiet
sie/Sie seien

Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech — reporting what someone else said — and in formal written German. With sein 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: “Er sei müde heute.” — “He is tired today.”

Konjunktiv II (conditional)

Person Form
ich wäre
du wärst
er/sie/es wäre
wir wären
ihr wärt
sie/Sie wären

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. With sein 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 wäre müde heute.” — “I would be tired today.”

Conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + participle)

Person Form
ich wäre gewesen
du wärst gewesen
er/sie/es wäre gewesen
wir wären gewesen
ihr wärt gewesen
sie/Sie wären gewesen

The conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + past participle) is used for what would have happened in a different past. With sein 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: “Er wäre müde heute gewesen.” — “He would have been tired today.”

Imperative (Imperativ)

Person Form
du sei
wir seien
ihr seid
sie/Sie seien

The imperative (Imperativ) is used for direct commands, requests and instructions. With sein 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: “Sei müde heute!” — “Be tired today!”

Present participle (Partizip I)

Form German
Present participle (Partizip I) seiend

The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective or adverb, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle seiend 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) gewesen

The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich bin Lehrer in Berlin gewesen.” — “I have been a teacher in Berlin.”

Infinitive (Infinitiv)

Form German
Infinitive sein

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 sein, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.

  1. “Ich bin Lehrer in Berlin.” — “I am a teacher in Berlin.”
  2. “Du warst müde heute.” — “You were tired today.”
  3. “Er ist heute Abend zu Hause gewesen.” — “He has been at home this evening.”
  4. “Ich werde Lehrer in Berlin sein.” — “I will be a teacher in Berlin.”
  5. “Du wärst müde heute.” — “You would be tired today.”
  6. “Ich war heute Abend zu Hause gewesen.” — “I had been at home this evening.”
  7. “Du wirst müde heute gewesen sein.” — “You will have been tired today.”
  8. “Er sei heute Abend zu Hause.” — “He is at home this evening.”
  9. “Ich wäre Lehrer in Berlin gewesen.” — “I would have been a teacher in Berlin.”
  10. “Sei Lehrer in Berlin!” — “Be a teacher in Berlin!”

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Ich sein Lehrer in Berlin.”

✓ Right: “Ich bin Lehrer in Berlin.”

The infinitive sein never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form bin.

2. Using the wrong person’s form

✗ Wrong: “Ich sind Lehrer in Berlin.”

✓ Right: “Ich bin Lehrer in Berlin.”

sind is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with bin.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Ich bin Lehrer in Berlin gestern.”

✓ Right: “Ich bin Lehrer in Berlin gewesen.”

The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt bin gewesen, not the present.

4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt

✗ Wrong: “Ich habe Lehrer in Berlin gewesen.”

✓ Right: “Ich bin Lehrer in Berlin gewesen.”

The Perfekt of sein is formed with sein plus the past participle gewesen: the ich form is bin gewesen. 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 war Lehrer in Berlin gestern.” (in everyday speech)

✓ Right: “Ich bin Lehrer in Berlin gewesen.”

In everyday spoken German the Perfekt bin gewesen is the usual past tense. The preterite war is correct in writing and in stories, but it sounds formal in conversation.

6. Using the du form when talking to a group

✗ Wrong: “Sei Lehrer in Berlin!” (said to several people)

✓ Right: “Seid Lehrer in Berlin!”

The du imperative sei is for one person you know well. For a group, use the ihr form seid.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on sein. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. What is the ich form of sein in the Present (Präsens)?

    • A) bist
    • B) ist
    • C) sind
    • D) bin

  2. What is the er/sie/es form of sein in the Preterite (Präteritum)?

    • A) waren
    • B) wart
    • C) war
    • D) warst

  3. What is the er/sie/es form of sein in the Perfect (Perfekt)?

    • A) bist gewesen
    • B) sind gewesen
    • C) ist gewesen
    • D) bin gewesen

  4. What is the du form of sein in the Future (Futur I)?

    • A) wirst sein
    • B) werde sein
    • C) wird sein
    • D) werden sein

  5. What is the ich form of sein in the Konjunktiv II (conditional)?

    • A) wären
    • B) wärt
    • C) wäre
    • D) wärst

  6. What is the wir form of sein in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?

    • A) wart gewesen
    • B) waren gewesen
    • C) war gewesen
    • D) warst gewesen

  7. What is the er/sie/es form of sein in the Konjunktiv I?

    • A) seist
    • B) seien
    • C) seiet
    • D) sei

  8. What is the du form of sein in the Imperative (Imperativ)?

    • A) seien
    • B) seid
    • C) bist
    • D) sei

  9. What is the past participle of sein?

    • A) geworden
    • B) gekonnt
    • C) gewesen
    • D) gehabt

  10. What does sein mean in English?

  • A) to become
  • B) to be able to
  • C) to be
  • D) to have

Answer key

  1. D) bin — the ich form of sein in the Present (Präsens) is bin. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) war — the er/sie/es form of sein in the Preterite (Präteritum) is war. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. C) ist gewesen — the er/sie/es form of sein in the Perfect (Perfekt) is ist gewesen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) wirst sein — the du form of sein in the Future (Futur I) is wirst sein. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. C) wäre — the ich form of sein in the Konjunktiv II (conditional) is wäre. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. B) waren gewesen — the wir form of sein in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is waren gewesen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) sei — the er/sie/es form of sein in the Konjunktiv I is sei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. D) sei — the du form of sein in the Imperative (Imperativ) is sei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. C) gewesen — the past participle of sein is gewesen; it is used with sein in the perfect tenses. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
  10. C) to be — sein means “to be” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.

Frequently asked questions

What does sein mean in English?

sein means “to be”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.

Is sein regular or irregular?

sein is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, perfect, pluperfect, future, future-perfect, konjunktiv-1, konjunktiv-2, conditional-perfect, imperative, past-participle. The present participle is seiend and the past participle is gewesen.

What are the participles of sein?

The present participle (Partizip I) is seiend — use it as an adjective for an ongoing action. The past participle (Partizip II) is gewesen — use it with sein for the perfect tenses, as in bin gewesen.

Which auxiliary does sein take in the Perfekt?

sein takes sein in the Perfekt: the ich form is bin gewesen. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with sein plus the past participle gewesen.

Does German have a separate conditional tense?

No. Konjunktiv II doubles as the conditional: the ich form wäre is the form you use for “would” meanings, and the periphrastic alternative with würde + infinitive is not a separate engine tense. The conditional perfect wäre gewesen covers “would have” meanings.

How do I say “I am a teacher in Berlin” in German?

Say “Ich bin Lehrer in Berlin.” — “I am a teacher in Berlin.” The ich form of the present is bin, and it is the form you will use most often.

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