Sorgen Conjugation in German

sorgen means “to worry” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 302 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You use it whenever you talk about worrying for my family, 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 sorgen — every tense, every person, both participles and the infinitive — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Ich sorge für meine Familie jeden Tag.” — “I worry for my family every day.”

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: sorgen
  • English: to worry
  • Verb type: Regular
  • Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
  • Pattern: weak
  • Separable: no
  • Participle I: sorgend
  • Past participle (Partizip II): gesorgt
  • Auxiliary: haben (all perfect tenses are formed with haben + the past participle)

Pronunciation

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

Three things to remember about sorgen

  1. It is regular: every form follows the ordinary weak pattern, so once you know the stem you can build the whole table. The only work is learning the endings, not memorising exceptions.
  2. The perfect tenses use haben: the perfect is formed with haben in the present plus the past participle gesorgt. The tables on this page give the participle in the uninflected form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.
  3. Partizip I is sorgend and Partizip II is gesorgt: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because Partizip I appears in adjectival uses and Partizip II 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 sorgen. 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 sorge
du sorgst
er/sie/es sorgt
wir sorgen
ihr sorgt
sie/Sie sorgen

The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Ich sorge für das Essen jeden Tag.” — “I worry for the food every day.”

Preterite (Präteritum)

Person Form
ich sorgte
du sorgtest
er/sie/es sorgte
wir sorgten
ihr sorgtet
sie/Sie sorgten

The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. For example: “Du sorgtest für das Essen gestern.” — “You worried for the food yesterday.”

Perfect (Perfekt)

Person Form
ich habe gesorgt
du hast gesorgt
er/sie/es hat gesorgt
wir haben gesorgt
ihr habt gesorgt
sie/Sie haben gesorgt

The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. For example: “Er hat für das Essen gesorgt gestern.” — “He has worried for the food yesterday.”

Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)

Person Form
ich hatte gesorgt
du hattest gesorgt
er/sie/es hatte gesorgt
wir hatten gesorgt
ihr hattet gesorgt
sie/Sie hatten gesorgt

The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Wir hatten für das Essen gesorgt vor der Party.” — “We had worried for the food before the party.”

Future (Futur I)

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

The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Ich werde für das Essen sorgen morgen.” — “I will worry for the food tomorrow.”

Future perfect (Futur II)

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

The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Du wirst für das Essen gesorgt haben bis morgen.” — “You will have worried for the food by tomorrow.”

Konjunktiv I

Person Form
ich sorge
du sorgest
er/sie/es sorge
wir sorgen
ihr sorget
sie/Sie sorgen

Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech and indirect quotation. For example: “Es ist wichtig, dass er sorge für das Essen.” — “It is important that he worry for the food.”

Konjunktiv II

Person Form
ich sorgte
du sorgtest
er/sie/es sorgte
wir sorgten
ihr sorgtet
sie/Sie sorgten

Konjunktiv II is used for wishes, hypothetical situations and polite requests. It doubles as the conditional: there is no separate würde tense in the tables, and the periphrastic alternative with würde plus the infinitive is a way of expressing the same meaning, not a tense of its own. For example: “Ich sorgte für das Essen eines Tages.” — “I would worry for the food one day.”

Conditional perfect

Person Form
ich hätte gesorgt
du hättest gesorgt
er/sie/es hätte gesorgt
wir hätten gesorgt
ihr hättet gesorgt
sie/Sie hätten gesorgt

The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er hätte für das Essen gesorgt gestern.” — “He would have worried for the food yesterday.”

Imperative

Person Form
du sorg
wir sorgen
ihr sorgt
sie sorgen

The imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Sorg für das Essen!” — “Worry for the food!”

Present participle (Partizip I)

Form German
Present participle sorgend

The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective and for describing an action in progress. For example, the participle sorgend describes something that is worrying. The present-tense sentence “Ich sorge für meine Familie jeden Tag.” — “I worry for my family every day.” shows the same verb in action.

Past participle (Partizip II)

Form German
Past participle gesorgt

The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich habe für meine Familie gesorgt gestern.” — “I have worried for my family yesterday.”

Infinitive

Form German
Infinitive sorgen

The infinitive is the dictionary form of the verb, used after modal verbs and in infinitive constructions. The infinitive sorgen is the form you look up in a dictionary. In a sentence it appears after a modal verb or with zu, and in the future it follows werden, as in “Ich werde für meine Familie sorgen morgen.” — “I will worry for my family tomorrow.”

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with sorgen, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.

  1. “Ich sorge für meine Familie jeden Tag.” — “I worry for my family every day.”
  2. “Du sorgtest für das Essen gestern.” — “You worried for the food yesterday.”
  3. “Er hat für die Kinder gesorgt gestern.” — “He has worried for the children yesterday.”
  4. “Wir hatten für meine Familie gesorgt vor der Party.” — “We had worried for my family before the party.”
  5. “Ich werde für das Essen sorgen morgen.” — “I will worry for the food tomorrow.”
  6. “Du wirst für die Kinder gesorgt haben bis morgen.” — “You will have worried for the children by tomorrow.”
  7. “Es ist wichtig, dass er sorge für meine Familie.” — “It is important that he worry for my family.”
  8. “Ich sorgte für das Essen eines Tages.” — “I would worry for the food one day.”
  9. “Er hätte für die Kinder gesorgt gestern.” — “He would have worried for the children yesterday.”
  10. “Sorg für meine Familie!” — “Worry for my family!”

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Ich sorgen für meine Familie.”

✓ Right: “Ich sorge für meine Familie.”

The infinitive sorgen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form sorge.

2. Using the wrong person’s form

✗ Wrong: “Ich sorgen für meine Familie.”

✓ Right: “Ich sorge für meine Familie.”

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

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Ich sorge für meine Familie gestern.”

✓ Right: “Ich habe für meine Familie gesorgt gestern.”

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

4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

✗ Wrong: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich sorge für meine Familie.”

✓ Right: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich sorge für meine Familie.”

After es ist wichtig, dass German needs Konjunktiv I, so use sorge here, not the indicative sorge.

5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt

✗ Wrong: “Ich bin gesorgt für meine Familie.”

✓ Right: “habe gesorgt für meine Familie.”

The Perfekt of sorgen is formed with haben plus the past participle gesorgt: the ich form is habe gesorgt. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.

6. Using the preterite for a daily habit

✗ Wrong: “Ich sorgte für meine Familie jeden Tag.”

✓ Right: “Ich sorge für meine Familie jeden Tag.”

The preterite sorgte describes a past action. For something you do every day, use the present sorge.

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) sorge
    • B) sorgst
    • C) sorgt
    • D) sorgen

  2. What is the du form of sorgen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?

    • A) sorgtet
    • B) sorgtest
    • C) sorgte
    • D) sorgten

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

    • A) hat gesorgt
    • B) habe gesorgt
    • C) hast gesorgt
    • D) haben gesorgt

  4. What is the wir form of sorgen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?

    • A) hattet gesorgt
    • B) hatten gesorgt
    • C) hatte gesorgt
    • D) hattest gesorgt

  5. What is the du form of sorgen in the Future (Futur I)?

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

  6. What is the ich form of sorgen in the Future perfect (Futur II)?

    • A) werde gesorgt haben
    • B) wirst gesorgt haben
    • C) wird gesorgt haben
    • D) werden gesorgt haben

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

    • A) sorge
    • B) sorgest
    • C) sorgen
    • D) sorget

  8. What is the ich form of sorgen in the Konjunktiv II?

    • A) sorgte
    • B) sorgtest
    • C) sorgten
    • D) sorgtet

  9. What is the present participle (Partizip I) of sorgen?

    • A) ärgernd
    • B) wartend
    • C) sorgend
    • D) freuend

  10. What does sorgen mean in English?

  • A) to annoy
  • B) to wait
  • C) to worry
  • D) to please

Answer key

  1. A) sorge — the ich form of sorgen in the Present (Präsens) is sorge. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. B) sorgtest — the du form of sorgen in the Preterite (Präteritum) is sorgtest. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. A) hat gesorgt — the er/sie/es form of sorgen in the Perfect (Perfekt) is hat gesorgt. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. B) hatten gesorgt — the wir form of sorgen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is hatten gesorgt. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) wirst sorgen — the du form of sorgen in the Future (Futur I) is wirst sorgen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. A) werde gesorgt haben — the ich form of sorgen in the Future perfect (Futur II) is werde gesorgt haben. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. A) sorge — the er/sie/es form of sorgen in the Konjunktiv I is sorge. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) sorgte — the ich form of sorgen in the Konjunktiv II is sorgte. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. C) sorgend — the present participle (Partizip I) of sorgen is sorgend. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
  10. C) to worry — sorgen means “to worry” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.

Frequently asked questions

What does sorgen mean in English?

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

Is sorgen regular or irregular?

sorgen is regular: it follows the ordinary weak pattern in every tense. Partizip I is sorgend and Partizip II is gesorgt.

What are the participles of sorgen?

Partizip I is sorgend — use it as an adjective. Partizip II is gesorgt — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe gesorgt.

Which auxiliary does sorgen take in the Perfekt?

sorgen takes haben in the Perfekt: the ich form is habe gesorgt. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with haben plus the past participle gesorgt.

How do I say “I worry” in German?

Say “Ich sorge für meine Familie jeden Tag.” — “I worry for my family every day.” The ich form of the present is sorge, and it is the form you will use most often.

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