Sich freuen Present Tense Conjugation in German
The present tense of sich freuen — “to be glad, to look forward to” — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. This page gives you the complete present tense table for sich freuen, 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 freue mich auf das Wochenende.” — “I look forward to the weekend.”
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for sich freuen, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Present Tense conjugation of sich freuen
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for sich freuen. sich freuen is a regular weak verb, so you can build the present tense from the regular endings once you know the stem.
Present (Präsens) — sich freuen
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | freue mich |
| du | freust dich |
| er/sie/es | freut sich |
| wir | freuen uns |
| ihr | freut euch |
| sie/Sie | freuen sich |
The present participle of sich freuen is freuend and the past participle is gefreut. You need the participle for the perfect tenses, and the present participle for adjectival use.
How the present tense of sich freuen is formed
For a regular weak verb, the present tense is built on the stem sich freu- (the infinitive sich freuen without its -en ending) plus the present tense endings: ich → freue mich, du → freust dich, er/sie/es → freut sich, wir → freuen uns, ihr → freut euch, sie/Sie → freuen sich. So sich freuen gives freue mich, freust dich, freut sich, freuen uns, freut euch, freuen sich. A note on the vowel change: the stem vowel changes (eue → eu) in the du and er/sie/es forms — freust dich, freut sich — and stays plain everywhere else. Copy the forms from the table above exactly, umlauts included: writing the plain vowel in a changed form is the most common spelling mistake with this verb. sich freuen is reflexive: the pronoun (mich, dich, sich, uns, euch, sich) goes with the verb — “Ich freue mich auf das Wochenende.”. The tables show the full form with the pronoun.
When to use the present tense of sich freuen
1. Habits and routines
Use the present tense for habits and routines. For example, with sich freuen: “Ich freue mich auf das Wochenende.” — “I look forward to the weekend.” 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 freuen: “Du freust dich auf das Wochenende.” — “You look forward to the weekend.” 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 freuen: “Er freut sich auf das Wochenende.” — “He looks forward to the weekend.” 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 freuen: “Wir freuen uns auf das Wochenende.” — “We look forward to the weekend.” 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 freuen: “Sie freuen sich auf das Wochenende.” — “They look forward to the weekend.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Present vs future: sich freuen now, sich freuen 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 freue mich auf das Wochenende.” — “I look forward to the weekend.”
Future: “Ich werde mich auf das Wochenende freuen.” — “I will look forward to the weekend.”
Present: “Du freust dich auf das Wochenende.” — “You look forward to the weekend.”
Future: “Du wirst dich auf das Wochenende freuen.” — “You will look forward to the weekend.”
Present: “Wir freuen uns auf das Wochenende.” — “We look forward to the weekend.”
Future: “Wir werden uns auf das Wochenende freuen.” — “We will look forward to the weekend.”
Example sentences: sich freuen in the present tense
Six sentences using only the present tense of sich freuen, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “Ich freue mich auf das Wochenende.” — “I look forward to the weekend.”
- “Du freust dich auf das Wochenende.” — “You look forward to the weekend.”
- “Er freut sich auf das Wochenende.” — “He looks forward to the weekend.”
- “Wir freuen uns auf das Wochenende.” — “We look forward to the weekend.”
- “Ihr freut euch auf das Wochenende.” — “You look forward to the weekend.”
- “Sie freuen sich auf das Wochenende.” — “They look forward to the weekend.”
Common mistakes with sich freuen in the present tense
1. Forgetting the vowel change
✗ Wrong: “Du freue micst auf das Wochenende.” (plain stem in the du form)
✓ Right: “Du freust dich auf das Wochenende.”
The du form of sich freuen is freust dich, with the vowel change (eue → eu). The plain stem is wrong here.
2. Mixing up the persons
✗ Wrong: “Du freue mich auf das Wochenende.”
✓ Right: “Du freust dich auf das Wochenende.”
After du you need freust dich, not the ich form freue mich. Each person has its own ending.
3. Using the future for a habit
✗ Wrong: “Ich werde mich auf das Wochenende freuen.”
✓ Right: “Ich freue mich auf das Wochenende.”
A habit that happens every day takes the present (freue mich), not the future.
4. Using the Präteritum for something happening now
✗ Wrong: “Ich freute mich auf das Wochenende.”
✓ Right: “Ich freue mich auf das Wochenende.”
Something happening right now takes the present (freue mich), not the Präteritum.
Quiz: sich freuen in the present tense
What is the ich form of sich freuen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) freut euch
- B) freut sich
- C) freue mich
- D) freuen sich
What is the du form of sich freuen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) freuen uns
- B) freue mich
- C) freust dich
- D) freut euch
What is the er/sie/es form of sich freuen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) freuen sich
- B) freue mich
- C) freust dich
- D) freut sich
What is the wir form of sich freuen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) freust dich
- B) freut euch
- C) freuen sich
- D) freuen uns
What is the ihr form of sich freuen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) freut euch
- B) freuen uns
- C) freue mich
- D) freut sich
What is the sie/Sie form of sich freuen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) freut sich
- B) freuen sich
- C) freue mich
- D) freut euch
What is the past participle of sich freuen?
- A) gefreut
- B) freuend
- C) freute mich
- D) freue mich
Which auxiliary does sich freuen take in the Perfekt?
- A) werden
- B) haben
- C) sein
Answer key
- C) freue mich — the ich form of sich freuen in the present tense is freue mich.
- C) freust dich — the du form of sich freuen in the present tense is freust dich.
- D) freut sich — the er/sie/es form of sich freuen in the present tense is freut sich.
- D) freuen uns — the wir form of sich freuen in the present tense is freuen uns.
- A) freut euch — the ihr form of sich freuen in the present tense is freut euch.
- B) freuen sich — the sie/Sie form of sich freuen in the present tense is freuen sich.
- A) gefreut — the past participle of sich freuen is gefreut; the Perfekt uses haben + gefreut.
- B) haben — sich freuen takes haben in the Perfekt: habe mich gefreut.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of sich freuen formed?
From the stem plus the present endings: ich → freue mich, du → freust dich, er/sie/es → freut sich, wir → freuen uns, ihr → freut euch, sie/Sie → freuen sich. The German present tense guide explains the pattern for all verbs.
Is sich freuen regular in the present tense?
Yes — sich freuen 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 freuen?
The past participle is gefreut. Use it with haben for the Perfekt, as in habe mich gefreut, and with haben in the past for the Plusquamperfekt, as in hatte mich gefreut.
Related pages
- sich freuen conjugation — the full conjugation tables for this verb in every tense.
- sich freuen 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 freuen with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise sich freuen with the interactive tool.
- Reflexive Verb Conjugator — practise reflexive verbs with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.