Springen: Examples, Sentences and Quiz in German

Introduction

Springen means “to jump”, and it is one of the most useful verbs in German — you will meet it in conversation, in books, in films and in every textbook. This page puts the verb to work: twelve example sentences across the tenses, a short dialogue you can act out, a tour of the verb in its most important tenses, the mistakes learners make most often, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Every form on this page comes from the verified conjugation tables for springen, so you can trust what you read here. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself with the quiz at the end.

Example sentences

Twelve sentences with springen, in different tenses and with different subjects. Read the German first, guess the meaning, then check the English.

  1. “Ich springe über den Zaun jeden Tag.” — “I jump over the fence every day.”
  2. “Du springst ins Wasser jeden Tag.” — “You jump into the water every day.”
  3. “Ich bin hoch in die Luft gesprungen gestern.” — “I have jumped high into the air yesterday.”
  4. “Er sprang über den Zaun gestern.” — “He jumped over the fence yesterday.”
  5. “Wir werden ins Wasser springen morgen.” — “We will jump into the water tomorrow.”
  6. “Du bist hoch in die Luft gesprungen gestern.” — “You have jumped high into the air yesterday.”
  7. “Ich spränge über den Zaun eines Tages.” — “I would jump over the fence one day.”
  8. “Es ist wichtig, dass er springe ins Wasser.” — “It is important that he jump into the water.”
  9. “Wir waren hoch in die Luft gesprungen vor der Party.” — “We had jumped high into the air before the party.”
  10. “Er wird über den Zaun springen morgen.” — “He will jump over the fence tomorrow.”
  11. “Sie springen ins Wasser jeden Tag.” — “They jump into the water every day.”
  12. “Spring hoch in die Luft!” — “Jump high into the air!”

A short dialogue

Lena and Jonas are talking about over the fence. Read the dialogue aloud, one voice per person, and notice how springen changes with the tense and the subject. Every form of springen below is taken from the verified tables.

Lena: “Du springst über den Zaun jeden Tag.” — “You jump over the fence every day.” Jonas: “Ich springe über den Zaun jeden Tag.” — “I jump over the fence every day.” Lena: “Du wirst ins Wasser springen morgen.” — “You will jump into the water tomorrow.” Jonas: “Ich werde ins Wasser springen morgen.” — “I will jump into the water tomorrow.” Lena: “Du bist hoch in die Luft gesprungen gestern.” — “You have jumped high into the air yesterday.” Jonas: “Ich bin hoch in die Luft gesprungen gestern.” — “I have jumped high into the air yesterday.” Lena: “Du sprängest über den Zaun eines Tages.” — “You would jump over the fence one day.” Jonas: “Ich spränge über den Zaun eines Tages.” — “I would jump over the fence one day.”

Notice how the dialogue moves through time: the present for what is happening now, the future for tomorrow, the Perfekt for yesterday, and Konjunktiv II for what someone would do one day. The verb stays the same — only the tense changes — and that is the whole point of learning a conjugation table: one verb, many moments.

Springen in different tenses

The same verb does different jobs in different tenses. Here are the six uses of springen that matter most, each with a sentence you can copy and adapt.

The present: habits and facts

In the present, springen describes habits, facts and what is happening now. The ich form is springe: “Ich springe über den Zaun jeden Tag.” — “I jump over the fence every day.”

The preterite: the past in stories

In the preterite, springen describes a completed past action, mostly in writing and stories. The er form is sprang: “Er sprang ins Wasser gestern.” — “He jumped into the water yesterday.”

The Perfekt: finished actions

In the Perfekt, springen reports one finished action, built with sein plus the participle gesprungen. The ich form is bin gesprungen: “Ich bin hoch in die Luft gesprungen gestern.” — “I have jumped high into the air yesterday.”

The future: what will happen

In the future, springen talks about what will happen. The wir form is werden springen: “Wir werden über den Zaun springen morgen.” — “We will jump over the fence tomorrow.”

Konjunktiv II: what would happen

In Konjunktiv II, springen talks about what would happen. Konjunktiv II doubles as the conditional, and the periphrastic alternative with würde plus the infinitive expresses the same meaning. The du form is sprängest: “Du sprängest ins Wasser eines Tages.” — “You would jump into the water one day.”

Konjunktiv I: reported speech

In Konjunktiv I, springen appears in reported speech, after triggers such as es ist wichtig, dass. The form is springe, and the sentence keeps the same complement as the other tenses: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich springe hoch in die Luft.” — “It is important that I jump high into the air.”

Common mistakes

Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Ich springen über den Zaun.”

✓ Right: “Ich springe über den Zaun.”

The infinitive springen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated form springe.

Using the wrong person’s form

✗ Wrong: “Du springe über den Zaun.”

✓ Right: “Du springst über den Zaun.”

springe is the ich form. With du you need springst. Check the subject before you choose the form.

Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Ich springe über den Zaun gestern.”

✓ Right: “Ich bin über den Zaun gesprungen gestern.”

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

Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

✗ Wrong: “Es ist wichtig, dass du springst ins Wasser.”

✓ Right: “Es ist wichtig, dass du springest ins Wasser.”

After es ist wichtig, dass German needs Konjunktiv I: springest, not the indicative springst.

Forgetting the auxiliary in the Perfekt

✗ Wrong: “Ich gesprungen über den Zaun.”

✓ Right: “Ich bin über den Zaun gesprungen.”

The Perfekt of springen needs the auxiliary sein plus the participle gesprungen: the full ich form is bin gesprungen.

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) springe
    • B) springst
    • C) springt
    • D) springen

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

    • A) springt
    • B) springen
    • C) springst
    • D) springe

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

    • A) bist gesprungen
    • B) sind gesprungen
    • C) ist gesprungen
    • D) bin gesprungen

  4. What is the wir form of springen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?

    • A) sprangst
    • B) sprangt
    • C) sprangen
    • D) sprang

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

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

  6. What is the ich form of springen in the Konjunktiv II?

    • A) spränget
    • B) spränge
    • C) sprängest
    • D) sprängen

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

    • A) springe
    • B) springest
    • C) springen
    • D) springet

  8. What is the ich form of springen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?

    • A) war gesprungen
    • B) warst gesprungen
    • C) waren gesprungen
    • D) wart gesprungen

  9. What is the past participle (Partizip II) of springen?

    • A) geflogen
    • B) getanzt
    • C) gesprungen
    • D) geschwommen

  10. What does springen mean in English?

  • A) to dance
  • B) to jump
  • C) to swim
  • D) to fly

Answer key

  1. A) springe — the ich form of springen in the Present (Präsens) is springe. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) springst — the du form of springen in the Present (Präsens) is springst. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. C) ist gesprungen — the er/sie/es form of springen in the Perfect (Perfekt) is ist gesprungen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. C) sprangen — the wir form of springen in the Preterite (Präteritum) is sprangen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) wirst springen — the du form of springen in the Future (Futur I) is wirst springen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. B) spränge — the ich form of springen in the Konjunktiv II is spränge. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. A) springe — the er/sie/es form of springen in the Konjunktiv I is springe. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) war gesprungen — the ich form of springen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is war gesprungen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. C) gesprungen — the past participle of springen is gesprungen. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
  10. B) to jump — springen means “to jump” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.

Frequently asked questions

What does springen mean in English?

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

Is springen regular or irregular?

springen is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. Partizip I is springend and Partizip II is gesprungen.

How do I practise springen every day?

Say one sentence with springen in the present, one in the Perfekt and one in the future every day, using the examples on this page as models — for example, “Ich springe über den Zaun jeden Tag.”, “Ich bin über den Zaun gesprungen gestern.” and “Ich werde über den Zaun springen morgen.”. Then take the quiz again and check your answers against the key.

Pronunciation

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

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