Sich erinnern Present Tense Conjugation in German

The present tense of sich erinnern — “to remember” — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. This page gives you the complete present tense table for sich erinnern, 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 erinnere mich an meine Kindheit.” — “I remember of my childhood.”

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for sich erinnern, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Present Tense conjugation of sich erinnern

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for sich erinnern. sich erinnern is a regular weak verb, so you can build the present tense from the regular endings once you know the stem.

Present (Präsens) — sich erinnern

Person	Form
ich	erinnere mich
du	erinnerst dich
er/sie/es	erinnert sich
wir	erinnern uns
ihr	erinnert euch
sie/Sie	erinnern sich

The present participle of sich erinnern is erinnernd and the past participle is geerinnert. You need the participle for the perfect tenses, and the present participle for adjectival use.

How the present tense of sich erinnern is formed

For a regular weak verb, the present tense is built on the stem sich erinnern- (the infinitive sich erinnern without its -en ending) plus the present tense endings: ich → erinnere mich, du → erinnerst dich, er/sie/es → erinnert sich, wir → erinnern uns, ihr → erinnert euch, sie/Sie → erinnern sich. So sich erinnern gives erinnere mich, erinnerst dich, erinnert sich, erinnern uns, erinnert euch, erinnern sich. sich erinnern is reflexive: the pronoun (mich, dich, sich, uns, euch, sich) goes with the verb — “Ich erinnere mich an meine Kindheit.”. The tables show the full form with the pronoun.

When to use the present tense of sich erinnern

1. Habits and routines

Use the present tense for habits and routines. For example, with sich erinnern: “Ich erinnere mich an meine Kindheit.” — “I remember of my childhood.” 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 sich erinnern: “Du erinnerst dich an meine Kindheit.” — “You remember of my childhood.” 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 sich erinnern: “Er erinnert sich an meine Kindheit.” — “He remembers of my childhood.” 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 sich erinnern: “Wir erinnern uns an meine Kindheit.” — “We remember of my childhood.” 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 sich erinnern: “Sie erinnern sich an meine Kindheit.” — “They remember of my childhood.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

Present vs future: sich erinnern now, sich erinnern 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 erinnere mich an meine Kindheit.” — “I remember of my childhood.”

• Future: “Ich werde mich an meine Kindheit erinnern.” — “I will remember of my childhood.”

• Present: “Du erinnerst dich an meine Kindheit.” — “You remember of my childhood.”

• Future: “Du wirst dich an meine Kindheit erinnern.” — “You will remember of my childhood.”

• Present: “Wir erinnern uns an meine Kindheit.” — “We remember of my childhood.”

• Future: “Wir werden uns an meine Kindheit erinnern.” — “We will remember of my childhood.”

Example sentences: sich erinnern in the present tense

Six sentences using only the present tense of sich erinnern, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.

• “Ich erinnere mich an meine Kindheit.” — “I remember of my childhood.”
• “Du erinnerst dich an meine Kindheit.” — “You remember of my childhood.”
• “Er erinnert sich an meine Kindheit.” — “He remembers of my childhood.”
• “Wir erinnern uns an meine Kindheit.” — “We remember of my childhood.”
• “Ihr erinnert euch an meine Kindheit.” — “You remember of my childhood.”
• “Sie erinnern sich an meine Kindheit.” — “They remember of my childhood.”

Common mistakes with sich erinnern in the present tense

1. Using the infinitive instead of the present

✗ Wrong: “Ich sich erinnern an meine Kindheit.”

✓ Right: “Ich erinnere mich an meine Kindheit.”

The infinitive never takes a subject; use the conjugated form erinnere mich.

2. Mixing up the persons

✗ Wrong: “Du erinnere mich an meine Kindheit.”

✓ Right: “Du erinnerst dich an meine Kindheit.”

After du you need erinnerst dich, not the ich form erinnere mich. Each person has its own ending.

3. Using the future for a habit

✗ Wrong: “Ich werde mich an meine Kindheit erinnern.”

✓ Right: “Ich erinnere mich an meine Kindheit.”

A habit that happens every day takes the present (erinnere mich), not the future.

4. Using the Präteritum for something happening now

✗ Wrong: “Ich erinnerte mich an meine Kindheit.”

✓ Right: “Ich erinnere mich an meine Kindheit.”

Something happening right now takes the present (erinnere mich), not the Präteritum.

Quiz: sich erinnern in the present tense

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

   • A) erinnert euch
   • B) erinnere mich
   • C) erinnerst dich
   • D) erinnern uns

2. What is the du form of sich erinnern in the Present (Präsens)?

   • A) erinnern uns
   • B) erinnern sich
   • C) erinnerst dich
   • D) erinnert euch

3. What is the er/sie/es form of sich erinnern in the Present (Präsens)?

   • A) erinnerst dich
   • B) erinnert sich
   • C) erinnern sich
   • D) erinnert euch

4. What is the wir form of sich erinnern in the Present (Präsens)?

   • A) erinnert euch
   • B) erinnert sich
   • C) erinnern uns
   • D) erinnerst dich

5. What is the ihr form of sich erinnern in the Present (Präsens)?

   • A) erinnere mich
   • B) erinnert euch
   • C) erinnern uns
   • D) erinnerst dich

6. What is the sie/Sie form of sich erinnern in the Present (Präsens)?

   • A) erinnerst dich
   • B) erinnern sich
   • C) erinnert sich
   • D) erinnert euch

7. What is the past participle of sich erinnern?

   • A) erinnerte mich
   • B) geerinnert
   • C) erinnernd
   • D) erinnere mich

8. Which auxiliary does sich erinnern take in the Perfekt?

   • A) werden
   • B) haben
   • C) sein

Answer key

1. B) erinnere mich — the ich form of sich erinnern in the present tense is erinnere mich.
2. C) erinnerst dich — the du form of sich erinnern in the present tense is erinnerst dich.
3. B) erinnert sich — the er/sie/es form of sich erinnern in the present tense is erinnert sich.
4. C) erinnern uns — the wir form of sich erinnern in the present tense is erinnern uns.
5. B) erinnert euch — the ihr form of sich erinnern in the present tense is erinnert euch.
6. B) erinnern sich — the sie/Sie form of sich erinnern in the present tense is erinnern sich.
7. B) geerinnert — the past participle of sich erinnern is geerinnert; the Perfekt uses haben + geerinnert.
8. B) haben — sich erinnern takes haben in the Perfekt: habe mich geerinnert.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present tense of sich erinnern formed?

From the stem plus the present endings: ich → erinnere mich, du → erinnerst dich, er/sie/es → erinnert sich, wir → erinnern uns, ihr → erinnert euch, sie/Sie → erinnern sich. The German present tense guide explains the pattern for all verbs.

Is sich erinnern regular in the present tense?

Yes — sich erinnern 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 sich erinnern?

The past participle is geerinnert. Use it with haben for the Perfekt, as in habe mich geerinnert, and with haben in the past for the Plusquamperfekt, as in hatte mich geerinnert.

Related pages

• sich erinnern conjugation — the full conjugation tables for this verb in every tense.
• sich erinnern 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 sich erinnern with the interactive tool.
• Verb Quiz — practise sich erinnern with the interactive tool.
• Reflexive Verb Conjugator — practise reflexive verbs with the interactive tool.
• VerbFlow home — back to the start.