Sterben Perfekt Tense Conjugation in German

The Perfekt of sterben — “to die” — is the tense you need for finished actions in the past: what you did yesterday, what happened last week, what has just finished. It is formed with sein in the present + the past participle gestorben, so once you know the participle you can build every person. This page gives you the complete Perfekt table for sterben, how it is formed, when to use it, how it differs from the Präteritum, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Ich bin im hohen Alter gestorben.” — “I have died at a great age.”

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

Perfekt Tense conjugation of sterben

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for sterben. The Perfekt is a compound tense: sein in the present + the past participle gestorben. The participle never changes in the table below — the tables give the single uninflected participle form, and the auxiliary carries the person.

Perfect (Perfekt) — sterben

Person Form
ich bin gestorben
du bist gestorben
er/sie/es ist gestorben
wir sind gestorben
ihr seid gestorben
sie/Sie sind gestorben

The present participle of sterben is sterbend and the past participle is gestorben. You need the participle for the perfect tenses, and the present participle for adjectival use.

How the Perfekt of sterben is formed

Take the present tense of the auxiliary sein and add the past participle gestorben: ich → bin gestorben, du → bist gestorben, er/sie/es → ist gestorben, wir → sind gestorben, ihr → seid gestorben, sie/Sie → sind gestorben. So sterben gives bin gestorben, bist gestorben, ist gestorben, sind gestorben, seid gestorben, sind gestorben. sterben takes sein because it describes motion or a change of state. That is the whole rule you need here: verbs of motion and change of state take sein in the Perfekt, most other verbs take haben. A note on the participle: gestorben is the only past participle for sterben in the verified tables. Do not invent a second participle, and do not borrow the participle of a similar verb.

When to use the Perfekt of sterben

1. A finished event in the past

Use the Perfekt for a finished event in the past. For example, with sterben: “Ich bin im hohen Alter gestorben.” — “I have died at a great age.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

2. Something that has just happened

Use the Perfekt for something that has just happened. For example, with sterben: “Du bist im hohen Alter gestorben.” — “You have died at a great age.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

3. A sequence of past events

Use the Perfekt for a sequence of past events. For example, with sterben: “Er ist im hohen Alter gestorben.” — “He has died at a great age.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

4. Life experience up to now

Use the Perfekt for life experience up to now. For example, with sterben: “Wir sind im hohen Alter gestorben.” — “We have died at a great age.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

5. A past event with a definite time

Use the Perfekt for a past event with a definite time. For example, with sterben: “Ihr seid im hohen Alter gestorben.” — “You have died at a great age.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

Perfekt vs Präteritum: sterben in speech and in writing

The Perfekt and the Präteritum both talk about the past, but they are not interchangeable in register. The Perfekt is the tense of spoken German: what you say in conversation. The Präteritum is the tense of written narration: stories, reports and formal writing. Compare the pairs below — the Perfekt form comes from this page, the Präteritum form from the full conjugation table.

  • Perfekt (spoken): “Ich bin im hohen Alter gestorben.” — “I have died at a great age.”

  • Präteritum (written): “Ich starb im hohen Alter.” — “I died at a great age.”

  • Perfekt (spoken): “Du bist im hohen Alter gestorben.” — “You have died at a great age.”

  • Präteritum (written): “Du starbst im hohen Alter.” — “You died at a great age.”

  • Perfekt (spoken): “Wir sind im hohen Alter gestorben.” — “We have died at a great age.”

  • Präteritum (written): “Wir starben im hohen Alter.” — “We died at a great age.”

Example sentences: sterben in the Perfekt

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

  • “Ich bin im hohen Alter gestorben.” — “I have died at a great age.”
  • “Du bist im hohen Alter gestorben.” — “You have died at a great age.”
  • “Er ist im hohen Alter gestorben.” — “He has died at a great age.”
  • “Wir sind im hohen Alter gestorben.” — “We have died at a great age.”
  • “Ihr seid im hohen Alter gestorben.” — “You have died at a great age.”
  • “Sie sind im hohen Alter gestorben.” — “They have died at a great age.”

Common mistakes with sterben in the Perfekt

1. Using the wrong auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Ich habe im hohen Alter gestorben.”

✓ Right: “Ich bin im hohen Alter gestorben.”

With sterben the Perfekt takes sein, not haben. The correct form is bin gestorben.

2. Using the present for a finished past event

✗ Wrong: “Ich sterbe im hohen Alter.”

✓ Right: “Ich bin im hohen Alter gestorben.”

Yesterday’s finished event needs the Perfekt (bin gestorben), not the present.

3. Using the Präteritum for a single finished event in speech

✗ Wrong: “Ich starb im hohen Alter.” (in conversation)

✓ Right: “Ich bin im hohen Alter gestorben.”

In spoken German a single finished event yesterday takes the Perfekt. The Präteritum belongs in written narration.

4. Guessing a regular participle

✗ Wrong: “Ich habe im hohen Alter gesterbt.” (a guessed regular participle)

✓ Right: “Ich bin im hohen Alter gestorben.”

sterben is a strong verb: its participle is gestorben, not the regular ge- + stem + -t form.

Quiz: sterben in the Perfekt

  1. What is the ich form of sterben in the Perfect (Perfekt)?

    • A) seid gestorben
    • B) bist gestorben
    • C) sind gestorben
    • D) bin gestorben

  2. What is the du form of sterben in the Perfect (Perfekt)?

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

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

    • A) bist gestorben
    • B) seid gestorben
    • C) ist gestorben
    • D) bin gestorben

  4. What is the wir form of sterben in the Perfect (Perfekt)?

    • A) bist gestorben
    • B) ist gestorben
    • C) sind gestorben
    • D) seid gestorben

  5. What is the ihr form of sterben in the Perfect (Perfekt)?

    • A) sind gestorben
    • B) seid gestorben
    • C) ist gestorben
    • D) bin gestorben

  6. What is the sie/Sie form of sterben in the Perfect (Perfekt)?

    • A) seid gestorben
    • B) sind gestorben
    • C) bist gestorben
    • D) ist gestorben

  7. What is the past participle of sterben?

    • A) starb
    • B) sterbe
    • C) gestorben
    • D) sterbend

  8. Which auxiliary does sterben take in the Perfekt?

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

Answer key

  1. D) bin gestorben — the ich form of sterben in the Perfekt is bin gestorben.
  2. C) bist gestorben — the du form of sterben in the Perfekt is bist gestorben.
  3. C) ist gestorben — the er/sie/es form of sterben in the Perfekt is ist gestorben.
  4. C) sind gestorben — the wir form of sterben in the Perfekt is sind gestorben.
  5. B) seid gestorben — the ihr form of sterben in the Perfekt is seid gestorben.
  6. B) sind gestorben — the sie/Sie form of sterben in the Perfekt is sind gestorben.
  7. C) gestorben — the past participle of sterben is gestorben; the Perfekt uses sein + gestorben.
  8. B) sein — sterben takes sein in the Perfekt: bin gestorben.

Frequently asked questions

How is the Perfekt of sterben formed?

With sein in the present + the past participle gestorben: ich → bin gestorben, du → bist gestorben, er/sie/es → ist gestorben. The full table is above, and the German Perfekt tense guide explains the pattern for all verbs.

Is sterben regular in the Perfekt?

Yes — sterben is regular in the Perfekt: 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 sterben?

The past participle is gestorben. Use it with sein for the Perfekt, as in bin gestorben, and with sein in the past for the Plusquamperfekt, as in war gestorben.

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