Sich legen Present Tense Conjugation in German

The present tense of sich legen — “to lie down” — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. This page gives you the complete present tense table for sich legen, 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 lege mich ins Bett.” — “I lie down in bed.”

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

Present Tense conjugation of sich legen

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

Present (Präsens) — sich legen

Person Form
ich lege mich
du legst dich
er/sie/es legt sich
wir legen uns
ihr legt euch
sie/Sie legen sich

The present participle of sich legen is legend and the past participle is gelegt. You need the participle for the perfect tenses, and the present participle for adjectival use.

How the present tense of sich legen is formed

For a regular weak verb, the present tense is built on the stem sich leg- (the infinitive sich legen without its -en ending) plus the present tense endings: ich → lege mich, du → legst dich, er/sie/es → legt sich, wir → legen uns, ihr → legt euch, sie/Sie → legen sich. So sich legen gives lege mich, legst dich, legt sich, legen uns, legt euch, legen sich. sich legen is reflexive: the pronoun (mich, dich, sich, uns, euch, sich) goes with the verb — “Ich lege mich ins Bett.”. The tables show the full form with the pronoun.

When to use the present tense of sich legen

1. Habits and routines

Use the present tense for habits and routines. For example, with sich legen: “Ich lege mich ins Bett.” — “I lie down in bed.” 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 legen: “Du legst dich ins Bett.” — “You lie down in bed.” 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 legen: “Er legt sich ins Bett.” — “He lies down in bed.” 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 legen: “Wir legen uns ins Bett.” — “We lie down in bed.” 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 legen: “Sie legen sich ins Bett.” — “They lie down in bed.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

Present vs future: sich legen now, sich legen 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 lege mich ins Bett.” — “I lie down in bed.”

  • Future: “Ich werde mich ins Bett legen.” — “I will lie down in bed.”

  • Present: “Du legst dich ins Bett.” — “You lie down in bed.”

  • Future: “Du wirst dich ins Bett legen.” — “You will lie down in bed.”

  • Present: “Wir legen uns ins Bett.” — “We lie down in bed.”

  • Future: “Wir werden uns ins Bett legen.” — “We will lie down in bed.”

Example sentences: sich legen in the present tense

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

  • “Ich lege mich ins Bett.” — “I lie down in bed.”
  • “Du legst dich ins Bett.” — “You lie down in bed.”
  • “Er legt sich ins Bett.” — “He lies down in bed.”
  • “Wir legen uns ins Bett.” — “We lie down in bed.”
  • “Ihr legt euch ins Bett.” — “You lie down in bed.”
  • “Sie legen sich ins Bett.” — “They lie down in bed.”

Common mistakes with sich legen in the present tense

1. Using the infinitive instead of the present

✗ Wrong: “Ich sich legen ins Bett.”

✓ Right: “Ich lege mich ins Bett.”

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

2. Mixing up the persons

✗ Wrong: “Du lege mich ins Bett.”

✓ Right: “Du legst dich ins Bett.”

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

3. Using the future for a habit

✗ Wrong: “Ich werde mich ins Bett legen.”

✓ Right: “Ich lege mich ins Bett.”

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

4. Using the Präteritum for something happening now

✗ Wrong: “Ich legte mich ins Bett.”

✓ Right: “Ich lege mich ins Bett.”

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

Quiz: sich legen in the present tense

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

    • A) lege mich
    • B) legen sich
    • C) legst dich
    • D) legen uns

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

    • A) legst dich
    • B) lege mich
    • C) legen sich
    • D) legen uns

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

    • A) legen sich
    • B) lege mich
    • C) legt sich
    • D) legen uns

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

    • A) legt euch
    • B) legen uns
    • C) legt sich
    • D) legst dich

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

    • A) legt euch
    • B) lege mich
    • C) legst dich
    • D) legt sich

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

    • A) legen sich
    • B) legen uns
    • C) legt euch
    • D) legt sich

  7. What is the past participle of sich legen?

    • A) legte mich
    • B) lege mich
    • C) gelegt
    • D) legend

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

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

Answer key

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

Frequently asked questions

How is the present tense of sich legen formed?

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

Is sich legen regular in the present tense?

Yes — sich legen 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 legen?

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

Related pages