Sprechen Conjugation in German
sprechen means “to speak” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 19 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You will meet it in everyday sentences such as “Ich spreche Deutsch mit meinen Freunden.” — “I speak German with my friends.” — 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 sprechen — every tense, every person, the present participle and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: sprechen
- English: to speak
- Verb type: Irregular
- Irregular in: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative
- Present participle (Partizip I): sprechend
- Past participle (Partizip II): gesprochen
- Auxiliary: haben (all perfect tenses are formed with haben + the past participle)
- Pattern: strong in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for sprechen, 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 sprechen in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about sprechen
- It is irregular in 4 tense(s): present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. Learn those forms as a set rather than guessing them from the infinitive, because the regular pattern will not produce them.
- The perfect tenses use haben: the Perfekt is formed with haben in the present plus the past participle gesprochen. The tables on this page give the participle in the form exactly as it appears in the verified dump; the participle itself does not change for person, only the auxiliary does.
- The participles are sprechend and gesprochen: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because the present participle appears as an adjective and the past participle 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 sprechen. 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 | spreche |
| du | sprichst |
| er/sie/es | spricht |
| wir | sprechen |
| ihr | sprecht |
| sie/Sie | sprechen |
The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With sprechen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Ich spreche über dieses Buch mit Marie.” — “I speak about this book with Marie.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | sprach |
| du | sprachst |
| er/sie/es | sprach |
| wir | sprachen |
| ihr | spracht |
| sie/Sie | sprachen |
The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. With sprechen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Du sprachst über dieses Buch mit Marie.” — “You spoke about this book with Marie.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe gesprochen |
| du | hast gesprochen |
| er/sie/es | hat gesprochen |
| wir | haben gesprochen |
| ihr | habt gesprochen |
| sie/Sie | haben gesprochen |
The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. For example: “Er hat über dieses Buch mit Marie gesprochen.” — “He has spoken about this book with Marie.”
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hatte gesprochen |
| du | hattest gesprochen |
| er/sie/es | hatte gesprochen |
| wir | hatten gesprochen |
| ihr | hattet gesprochen |
| sie/Sie | hatten gesprochen |
The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Ich hatte über dieses Buch mit Marie gesprochen.” — “I had spoken about this book with Marie.”
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde sprechen |
| du | wirst sprechen |
| er/sie/es | wird sprechen |
| wir | werden sprechen |
| ihr | werdet sprechen |
| sie/Sie | werden sprechen |
The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for intentions. For example: “Ich werde über dieses Buch mit Marie sprechen.” — “I will speak about this book with Marie.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde gesprochen haben |
| du | wirst gesprochen haben |
| er/sie/es | wird gesprochen haben |
| wir | werden gesprochen haben |
| ihr | werdet gesprochen haben |
| sie/Sie | werden gesprochen haben |
The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Du wirst über dieses Buch mit Marie gesprochen haben.” — “You will have spoken about this book with Marie.”
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | spreche |
| du | sprechest |
| er/sie/es | spreche |
| wir | sprechen |
| ihr | sprechet |
| sie/Sie | sprechen |
Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech — reporting what someone else said — and in formal written German. For example: “Er spreche über dieses Buch mit Marie.” — “He speaks about this book with Marie.”
Konjunktiv II (conditional)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | spräche |
| du | sprächest |
| er/sie/es | spräche |
| wir | sprächen |
| ihr | sprächet |
| sie/Sie | sprächen |
Konjunktiv II is used for hypothetical situations, wishes and polite requests. It doubles as the German conditional: there is no separate conditional tense, and the periphrastic alternative with würde + infinitive is not an engine tense. For example: “Ich spräche über dieses Buch mit Marie.” — “I would speak about this book with Marie.”
Conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + participle)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hätte gesprochen |
| du | hättest gesprochen |
| er/sie/es | hätte gesprochen |
| wir | hätten gesprochen |
| ihr | hättet gesprochen |
| sie/Sie | hätten gesprochen |
The conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + past participle) is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er hätte über dieses Buch mit Marie gesprochen.” — “He would have spoken about this book with Marie.”
Imperative (Imperativ)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | sprich |
| wir | sprechen |
| ihr | sprecht |
| sie/Sie | sprechen |
The imperative (Imperativ) is used for direct commands, requests and instructions. With sprechen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Sprich über dieses Buch mit Marie!” — “Speak about this book with Marie!”
Present participle (Partizip I)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle (Partizip I) | sprechend |
The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective or adverb, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle sprechend is used to describe something that is happening at the same time as the main action, much like an English -ing adjective.
Past participle (Partizip II)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Past participle (Partizip II) | gesprochen |
The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich habe Deutsch mit meinen Freunden gesprochen.” — “I have spoken German with my friends.”
Infinitive (Infinitiv)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | sprechen |
The infinitive is the dictionary form of the verb, used after modal verbs and other verbs that take an infinitive. The infinitive is the dictionary form of the verb: it is the form you look up, and the form that follows modal verbs and other verbs that take an infinitive.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with sprechen, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich spreche Deutsch mit meinen Freunden.” — “I speak German with my friends.”
- “Du sprachst über dieses Buch mit Marie.” — “You spoke about this book with Marie.”
- “Er hat jeden Tag bei der Arbeit gesprochen.” — “He has spoken every day at work.”
- “Ich werde Deutsch mit meinen Freunden sprechen.” — “I will speak German with my friends.”
- “Du sprächest über dieses Buch mit Marie.” — “You would speak about this book with Marie.”
- “Ich hatte jeden Tag bei der Arbeit gesprochen.” — “I had spoken every day at work.”
- “Du wirst über dieses Buch mit Marie gesprochen haben.” — “You will have spoken about this book with Marie.”
- “Er spreche jeden Tag bei der Arbeit.” — “He speaks every day at work.”
- “Ich hätte Deutsch mit meinen Freunden gesprochen.” — “I would have spoken German with my friends.”
- “Sprich Deutsch mit meinen Freunden!” — “Speak German with my friends!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich sprechen Deutsch mit meinen Freunden.”
✓ Right: “Ich spreche Deutsch mit meinen Freunden.”
The infinitive sprechen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form spreche.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Ich sprechen Deutsch mit meinen Freunden.”
✓ Right: “Ich spreche Deutsch mit meinen Freunden.”
sprechen is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with spreche.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Ich spreche Deutsch mit meinen Freunden gestern.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe Deutsch mit meinen Freunden gesprochen.”
The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt habe gesprochen, not the present.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich bin Deutsch mit meinen Freunden gesprochen.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe Deutsch mit meinen Freunden gesprochen.”
The Perfekt of sprechen is formed with haben plus the past participle gesprochen: the ich form is habe gesprochen. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
5. Using the preterite where spoken German prefers the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich sprach Deutsch mit meinen Freunden gestern.” (in everyday speech)
✓ Right: “Ich habe Deutsch mit meinen Freunden gesprochen.”
In everyday spoken German the Perfekt habe gesprochen is the usual past tense. The preterite sprach is correct in writing and in stories, but it sounds formal in conversation.
6. Using the du form when talking to a group
✗ Wrong: “Sprich Deutsch mit meinen Freunden!” (said to several people)
✓ Right: “Sprecht Deutsch mit meinen Freunden!”
The du imperative sprich is for one person you know well. For a group, use the ihr form sprecht.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on sprechen. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the ich form of sprechen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) spricht
- B) sprechen
- C) spreche
- D) sprichst
What is the er/sie/es form of sprechen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) sprachst
- B) sprachen
- C) spracht
- D) sprach
What is the er/sie/es form of sprechen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) haben gesprochen
- B) hat gesprochen
- C) habe gesprochen
- D) hast gesprochen
What is the du form of sprechen in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) werde sprechen
- B) wird sprechen
- C) werden sprechen
- D) wirst sprechen
What is the ich form of sprechen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional)?
- A) sprächest
- B) sprächen
- C) sprächet
- D) spräche
What is the wir form of sprechen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) hattest gesprochen
- B) hattet gesprochen
- C) hatten gesprochen
- D) hatte gesprochen
What is the er/sie/es form of sprechen in the Konjunktiv I?
- A) sprechen
- B) sprechet
- C) spreche
- D) sprechest
What is the du form of sprechen in the Imperative (Imperativ)?
- A) sprechen
- B) sprecht
- C) sprichst
- D) sprich
What is the past participle of sprechen?
- A) gefahren
- B) gelassen
- C) gesprochen
- D) gelebt
What does sprechen mean in English?
- A) to let, to leave
- B) to speak
- C) to live
- D) to drive
Answer key
- C) spreche — the ich form of sprechen in the Present (Präsens) is spreche. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) sprach — the er/sie/es form of sprechen in the Preterite (Präteritum) is sprach. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) hat gesprochen — the er/sie/es form of sprechen in the Perfect (Perfekt) is hat gesprochen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) wirst sprechen — the du form of sprechen in the Future (Futur I) is wirst sprechen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) spräche — the ich form of sprechen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional) is spräche. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) hatten gesprochen — the wir form of sprechen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is hatten gesprochen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) spreche — the er/sie/es form of sprechen in the Konjunktiv I is spreche. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) sprich — the du form of sprechen in the Imperative (Imperativ) is sprich. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) gesprochen — the past participle of sprechen is gesprochen; it is used with haben in the perfect tenses. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- B) to speak — sprechen means “to speak” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does sprechen mean in English?
sprechen means “to speak”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is sprechen regular or irregular?
sprechen is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. The present participle is sprechend and the past participle is gesprochen.
What are the participles of sprechen?
The present participle (Partizip I) is sprechend — use it as an adjective for an ongoing action. The past participle (Partizip II) is gesprochen — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe gesprochen.
Which auxiliary does sprechen take in the Perfekt?
sprechen takes haben in the Perfekt: the ich form is habe gesprochen. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with haben plus the past participle gesprochen.
Does German have a separate conditional tense?
No. Konjunktiv II doubles as the conditional: the ich form spräche is the form you use for “would” meanings, and the periphrastic alternative with würde + infinitive is not a separate engine tense. The conditional perfect hätte gesprochen covers “would have” meanings.
How do I say “I speak German with my friends” in German?
Say “Ich spreche Deutsch mit meinen Freunden.” — “I speak German with my friends.” The ich form of the present is spreche, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of sprechen — every tense of sprechen in one place.
- Sprechen in the Perfekt tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Sprechen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Leben conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Fahren conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Lassen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- German irregular verbs — every common irregular German verb, grouped by pattern.
- German verbs — the full hub of German conjugation pages.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — practise sprechen with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise sprechen with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise sprechen with the interactive tool.