Sich erinnern Conjugation in German
sich erinnern means “to remember” in English, and it is a verb German learners meet early and use often. This page gives you the complete conjugation of sich erinnern — every tense, every person, the participles and the infinitive — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Ich erinnere mich an meine Kindheit.” — “I remember of my childhood.” Learning the forms on this page first, before you try to use the verb in conversation, saves you from guessing later: German endings change with the person and the tense, and sich erinnern is no exception. Work through the tables one tense at a time, say each form aloud, and then test yourself with the quiz at the end.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: sich erinnern
- English: to remember
- Verb type: Weak reflexive verb
- Irregular in: — (regular in every tense)
- Present participle (Partizip I): erinnernd
- Past participle (Partizip II): geerinnert
- Auxiliary: haben (all perfect tenses are formed with haben + the past participle)
- Reflexive: yes — the reflexive pronoun (mich, dich, sich, uns, euch, sich) is part of the verb. The tables below show the full form with the pronoun, exactly as the verified tables give it.
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.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for sich erinnern. Learn the present tense first, then the Perfekt and the Präteritum, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present (Präsens)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | erinnere mich |
| du | erinnerst dich |
| er/sie/es | erinnert sich |
| wir | erinnern uns |
| ihr | erinnert euch |
| sie/Sie | erinnern sich |
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | erinnerte mich |
| du | erinnertest dich |
| er/sie/es | erinnerte sich |
| wir | erinnerten uns |
| ihr | erinnertet euch |
| sie/Sie | erinnerten sich |
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe mich geerinnert |
| du | hast dich geerinnert |
| er/sie/es | hat sich geerinnert |
| wir | haben uns geerinnert |
| ihr | habt euch geerinnert |
| sie/Sie | haben sich geerinnert |
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hatte mich geerinnert |
| du | hattest dich geerinnert |
| er/sie/es | hatte sich geerinnert |
| wir | hatten uns geerinnert |
| ihr | hattet euch geerinnert |
| sie/Sie | hatten sich geerinnert |
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde mich erinnern |
| du | wirst dich erinnern |
| er/sie/es | wird sich erinnern |
| wir | werden uns erinnern |
| ihr | werdet euch erinnern |
| sie/Sie | werden sich erinnern |
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde mich geerinnert haben |
| du | wirst dich geerinnert haben |
| er/sie/es | wird sich geerinnert haben |
| wir | werden uns geerinnert haben |
| ihr | werdet euch geerinnert haben |
| sie/Sie | werden sich geerinnert haben |
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | erinnere mich |
| du | erinnerest dich |
| er/sie/es | erinnere sich |
| wir | erinnern uns |
| ihr | erinnert euch |
| sie/Sie | erinnern sich |
Konjunktiv II
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | erinnerte mich |
| du | erinnertest dich |
| er/sie/es | erinnerte sich |
| wir | erinnerten uns |
| ihr | erinnertet euch |
| sie/Sie | erinnerten sich |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hätte mich geerinnert |
| du | hättest dich geerinnert |
| er/sie/es | hätte sich geerinnert |
| wir | hätten uns geerinnert |
| ihr | hättet euch geerinnert |
| sie/Sie | hätten sich geerinnert |
Imperative (Imperativ)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | erinner dich |
| wir | erinnern |
| ihr | erinnert euch |
| sie/Sie | erinnern |
Participles and infinitive
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle (Partizip I) | erinnernd |
| Past participle (Partizip II) | geerinnert |
| Infinitive | erinnern |
When to use each tense
Present (Präsens)
The present tense is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Ich erinnere mich an meine Kindheit.” — “I remember of my childhood.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
The preterite is used for completed actions in the past, especially in writing and narration. For example: “Du erinnertest dich an meine Kindheit.” — “You remembered of my childhood.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
The Perfekt is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. With sich erinnern it is formed with haben + the past participle geerinnert. For example: “Er hat sich an meine Kindheit geerinnert.” — “He has remembered of my childhood.”
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
The Plusquamperfekt is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Wir hatten uns an meine Kindheit geerinnert.” — “We had remembered of my childhood.”
Future (Futur I)
The Futur I is used for what will happen, predictions and promises. For example: “Ihr werdet euch an meine Kindheit erinnern.” — “You will remember of my childhood.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
The Futur II is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Sie werden sich an meine Kindheit geerinnert haben.” — “They will have remembered of my childhood.”
Konjunktiv I
The Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech and indirect quotation. For example: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich mich an meine Kindheit erinnere.” — “It is important that I remember of my childhood.”
Konjunktiv II
The Konjunktiv II is used for wishes, polite requests and hypothetical situations — it also doubles as the conditional. There is no separate würde tense in the tables: the Konjunktiv II forms below do the work of the conditional, and würde + infinitive is the periphrastic alternative you will hear in speech. For example: “Du erinnertest dich an meine Kindheit.” — “You would remember of my childhood if you could.”
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er hätte sich an meine Kindheit geerinnert.” — “He would have remembered of my childhood if he had been able to.”
Imperative (Imperativ)
The imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Erinner dich an meine Kindheit!” — “Remember of my childhood!”
Participles and infinitive
The present participle is erinnernd — “while remembering” — used as an adjective or adverb. The past participle is geerinnert, used with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe mich geerinnert. The infinitive is erinnern.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with sich erinnern, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich erinnere mich an meine Kindheit.” — “I remember of my childhood.”
- “Du erinnerst dich an meine Kindheit.” — “You remember of my childhood.”
- “Er erinnerte sich an meine Kindheit.” — “He remembered of my childhood.”
- “Ich habe mich an meine Kindheit geerinnert.” — “I have remembered of my childhood.”
- “Er hatte sich an meine Kindheit geerinnert.” — “He had remembered of my childhood.”
- “Wir werden uns an meine Kindheit erinnern.” — “We will remember of my childhood.”
- “Ich werde mich an meine Kindheit geerinnert haben.” — “I will have remembered of my childhood.”
- “Es ist wichtig, dass ich mich an meine Kindheit erinnere.” — “It is important that I remember of my childhood.”
- “Ich erinnerte mich an meine Kindheit.” — “I would remember of my childhood if I could.”
- “Erinner dich an meine Kindheit!” — “Remember of my childhood!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich sich erinnern an meine Kindheit.”
✓ Right: “Ich erinnere mich an meine Kindheit.”
The infinitive sich erinnern never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form erinnere mich.
2. Confusing sich erinnern with vergessen
✗ Wrong: “Ich vergessen an meine Kindheit.” (using the wrong verb)
✓ Right: “Ich erinnere mich an meine Kindheit.”
sich erinnern means “to remember”; vergessen means “to forget”. Keep the two verbs apart by their meaning, not by their sound.
3. Dropping the reflexive pronoun
✗ Wrong: “Ich erinnere an meine Kindheit.”
✓ Right: “Ich erinnere mich an meine Kindheit.”
sich erinnern is reflexive: the pronoun (mich for ich) is part of the verb. Without it the sentence is incomplete or means something else.
4. Using the indicative after a Konjunktiv I trigger
✗ Wrong: “Es ist wichtig, dass du dich an meine Kindheit erinnerst.”
✓ Right: “Es ist wichtig, dass du dich an meine Kindheit erinnerest.”
After es ist wichtig, dass German needs Konjunktiv I, so use erinnerest dich here, not the indicative erinnerst dich.
5. Using the present for a finished past event
✗ Wrong: “Ich erinnere mich an meine Kindheit.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe mich an meine Kindheit geerinnert.”
Yesterday’s finished event needs the Perfekt (habe mich geerinnert), not the present.
Quiz: test yourself
What is the ich form of sich erinnern in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) erinnert euch
- B) erinnere mich
- C) erinnerst dich
- D) erinnern uns
What is the er/sie/es form of sich erinnern in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) erinnert euch
- B) erinnerst dich
- C) erinnern sich
- D) erinnert sich
What is the ich form of sich erinnern in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) erinnerte sich
- B) erinnerten sich
- C) erinnertest dich
- D) erinnerte mich
What is the ich form of sich erinnern in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) haben sich geerinnert
- B) haben uns geerinnert
- C) habe mich geerinnert
- D) habt euch geerinnert
What is the wir form of sich erinnern in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) hatten uns geerinnert
- B) hatte sich geerinnert
- C) hattest dich geerinnert
- D) hattet euch geerinnert
What is the du form of sich erinnern in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) werde mich erinnern
- B) wird sich erinnern
- C) wirst dich erinnern
- D) werden uns erinnern
What is the ich form of sich erinnern in the Future perfect (Futur II)?
- A) werde mich geerinnert haben
- B) wirst dich geerinnert haben
- C) wird sich geerinnert haben
- D) werden uns geerinnert haben
What is the ich form of sich erinnern in the Konjunktiv II?
- A) erinnerten sich
- B) erinnertet euch
- C) erinnerte mich
- D) erinnerte sich
What is the past participle of sich erinnern?
- A) erinnernd
- B) geerinnert
- C) erinnere mich
- D) erinnerte mich
What does sich erinnern mean in English?
- A) to forget
- B) to do
- C) to come
- D) to remember
Answer key
- B) erinnere mich — the ich form of sich erinnern in the present tense is erinnere mich.
- D) erinnert sich — the er/sie/es form of sich erinnern in the present tense is erinnert sich.
- D) erinnerte mich — the ich form of sich erinnern in the preterite is erinnerte mich.
- C) habe mich geerinnert — the ich form of sich erinnern in the Perfekt is habe mich geerinnert.
- A) hatten uns geerinnert — the wir form of sich erinnern in the Plusquamperfekt is hatten uns geerinnert.
- C) wirst dich erinnern — the du form of sich erinnern in the Futur I is wirst dich erinnern.
- A) werde mich geerinnert haben — the ich form of sich erinnern in the Futur II is werde mich geerinnert haben.
- C) erinnerte mich — the ich form of sich erinnern in the Konjunktiv II is erinnerte mich.
- B) geerinnert — the past participle of sich erinnern is geerinnert; perfect tenses use haben + geerinnert.
- D) to remember — sich erinnern means “to remember” in English.
Frequently asked questions
What does sich erinnern mean in English?
sich erinnern means “to remember”. You use it in everyday situations like the examples on this page — for example, “Ich erinnere mich an meine Kindheit.” (“I remember of my childhood.”). It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is sich erinnern regular or irregular?
sich erinnern is regular: its endings follow the standard weak pattern in every tense. The present participle is erinnernd and the past participle is geerinnert.
What are the participles of sich erinnern?
The present participle is erinnernd and the past participle is geerinnert — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe mich geerinnert.
What is the difference between sich erinnern and vergessen?
sich erinnern means “to remember”, while vergessen means “to forget”. They are easy to mix up because they appear in similar situations, but their meanings are different. If you are unsure, check the full conjugation page for vergessen and compare the meanings in context.
How do I say “I remember” in German?
Say “Ich erinnere mich an meine Kindheit.” — “I remember of my childhood.” The ich form of the present is erinnere mich, and it is the form you will use most often.
How to learn sich erinnern
Start with the present tense: erinnere mich, erinnerst dich, erinnert sich, erinnern uns, erinnert euch, erinnern sich. Say them in order every day for a week, then add the Perfekt — habe mich geerinnert — and the Präteritum — erinnerte mich. Next, learn the future (werde mich erinnern) and the Konjunktiv II (erinnerte mich), which also does the work of the conditional. Finally, tackle Konjunktiv I (erinnere mich) and the imperative (erinner dich). Write one sentence of your own in each tense, using the examples above as models, and check every form against the tables. When you can produce all six persons of the present without looking, move on to the quiz.
Related pages
- sich erinnern in the present tense — the full table and uses for this verb in the present 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.