Sparen Present Tense Conjugation in German
The present tense of sparen — “to save” — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. This page gives you the complete present tense table for sparen, 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 spare Geld für den Urlaub.” — “I save money for the holiday.”
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for sparen, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Present Tense conjugation of sparen
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for sparen. sparen is a regular weak verb, so you can build the present tense from the regular endings once you know the stem.
Present (Präsens) — sparen
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | spare |
| du | sparst |
| er/sie/es | spart |
| wir | sparen |
| ihr | spart |
| sie/Sie | sparen |
The present participle of sparen is sparend and the past participle is gespart. You need the participle for the perfect tenses, and the present participle for adjectival use.
How the present tense of sparen is formed
For a regular weak verb, the present tense is built on the stem spar- (the infinitive sparen without its -en ending) plus the present tense endings: ich → spare, du → sparst, er/sie/es → spart, wir → sparen, ihr → spart, sie/Sie → sparen. So sparen gives spare, sparst, spart, sparen, spart, sparen.
When to use the present tense of sparen
1. Habits and routines
Use the present tense for habits and routines. For example, with sparen: “Ich spare Geld für den Urlaub.” — “I save money for the holiday.” 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 sparen: “Du sparst Geld für den Urlaub.” — “You save money for the holiday.” 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 sparen: “Er spart Geld für den Urlaub.” — “He saves money for the holiday.” 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 sparen: “Wir sparen Geld für den Urlaub.” — “We save money for the holiday.” 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 sparen: “Sie sparen Geld für den Urlaub.” — “They save money for the holiday.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Present vs future: sparen now, sparen 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 spare Geld für den Urlaub.” — “I save money for the holiday.”
Future: “Ich werde Geld für den Urlaub sparen.” — “I will save money for the holiday.”
Present: “Du sparst Geld für den Urlaub.” — “You save money for the holiday.”
Future: “Du wirst Geld für den Urlaub sparen.” — “You will save money for the holiday.”
Present: “Wir sparen Geld für den Urlaub.” — “We save money for the holiday.”
Future: “Wir werden Geld für den Urlaub sparen.” — “We will save money for the holiday.”
Example sentences: sparen in the present tense
Six sentences using only the present tense of sparen, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “Ich spare Geld für den Urlaub.” — “I save money for the holiday.”
- “Du sparst Geld für den Urlaub.” — “You save money for the holiday.”
- “Er spart Geld für den Urlaub.” — “He saves money for the holiday.”
- “Wir sparen Geld für den Urlaub.” — “We save money for the holiday.”
- “Ihr spart Geld für den Urlaub.” — “You save money for the holiday.”
- “Sie sparen Geld für den Urlaub.” — “They save money for the holiday.”
Common mistakes with sparen in the present tense
1. Using the infinitive instead of the present
✗ Wrong: “Ich sparen Geld für den Urlaub.”
✓ Right: “Ich spare Geld für den Urlaub.”
The infinitive never takes a subject; use the conjugated form spare.
2. Mixing up the persons
✗ Wrong: “Du spare Geld für den Urlaub.”
✓ Right: “Du sparst Geld für den Urlaub.”
After du you need sparst, not the ich form spare. Each person has its own ending.
3. Using the future for a habit
✗ Wrong: “Ich werde Geld für den Urlaub sparen.”
✓ Right: “Ich spare Geld für den Urlaub.”
A habit that happens every day takes the present (spare), not the future.
4. Using the Präteritum for something happening now
✗ Wrong: “Ich sparte Geld für den Urlaub.”
✓ Right: “Ich spare Geld für den Urlaub.”
Something happening right now takes the present (spare), not the Präteritum.
Quiz: sparen in the present tense
What is the ich form of sparen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) spare
- B) sparst
- C) sparen
- D) spart
What is the du form of sparen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) spart
- B) spare
- C) sparst
- D) sparen
What is the er/sie/es form of sparen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) spare
- B) sparen
- C) sparst
- D) spart
What is the wir form of sparen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) sparst
- B) sparen
- C) spare
- D) spart
What is the ihr form of sparen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) spart
- B) sparen
- C) sparst
- D) spare
What is the sie/Sie form of sparen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) spare
- B) spart
- C) sparen
- D) sparst
What is the past participle of sparen?
- A) sparte
- B) sparend
- C) spare
- D) gespart
Which auxiliary does sparen take in the Perfekt?
- A) sein
- B) haben
- C) werden
Answer key
- A) spare — the ich form of sparen in the present tense is spare.
- C) sparst — the du form of sparen in the present tense is sparst.
- D) spart — the er/sie/es form of sparen in the present tense is spart.
- B) sparen — the wir form of sparen in the present tense is sparen.
- A) spart — the ihr form of sparen in the present tense is spart.
- C) sparen — the sie/Sie form of sparen in the present tense is sparen.
- D) gespart — the past participle of sparen is gespart; the Perfekt uses haben + gespart.
- B) haben — sparen takes haben in the Perfekt: habe gespart.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of sparen formed?
From the stem plus the present endings: ich → spare, du → sparst, er/sie/es → spart, wir → sparen, ihr → spart, sie/Sie → sparen. The German present tense guide explains the pattern for all verbs.
Is sparen regular in the present tense?
Yes — sparen 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 sparen?
The past participle is gespart. Use it with haben for the Perfekt, as in habe gespart, and with haben in the past for the Plusquamperfekt, as in hatte gespart.
Related pages
- sparen conjugation — the full conjugation tables for this verb in every tense.
- sparen 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 sparen with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise sparen with the interactive tool.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise the present tense with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.