Sterben Conjugation in German
sterben means “to die” in English, and it is a verb German learners meet early and use often. This page gives you the complete conjugation of sterben — every tense, every person, the participles and the infinitive — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Er stirbt im hohen Alter.” — “He dies at a great age.” Learning the forms on this page first, before you try to use the verb in conversation, saves you from guessing later: German endings change with the person and the tense, and sterben is no exception. Work through the tables one tense at a time, say each form aloud, and then test yourself with the quiz at the end.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: sterben
- English: to die
- Verb type: Strong verb
- Irregular in: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative
- Present participle (Partizip I): sterbend
- Past participle (Partizip II): gestorben
- Auxiliary: sein (all perfect tenses are formed with sein + the past participle)
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.
sterben is a strong verb with a vowel change in the present tense: the stem vowel changes from e → i in the du and er/sie/es forms — stirbst, stirbt — while ich, wir, ihr and sie keep the plain stem. The preterite changes the stem again (starb), and the past participle is gestorben.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for sterben. Learn the present tense first, then the Perfekt and the Präteritum, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present (Präsens)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | sterbe |
| du | stirbst |
| er/sie/es | stirbt |
| wir | sterben |
| ihr | sterbt |
| sie/Sie | sterben |
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | starb |
| du | starbst |
| er/sie/es | starb |
| wir | starben |
| ihr | starbt |
| sie/Sie | starben |
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | bin gestorben |
| du | bist gestorben |
| er/sie/es | ist gestorben |
| wir | sind gestorben |
| ihr | seid gestorben |
| sie/Sie | sind gestorben |
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | war gestorben |
| du | warst gestorben |
| er/sie/es | war gestorben |
| wir | waren gestorben |
| ihr | wart gestorben |
| sie/Sie | waren gestorben |
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde sterben |
| du | wirst sterben |
| er/sie/es | wird sterben |
| wir | werden sterben |
| ihr | werdet sterben |
| sie/Sie | werden sterben |
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde gestorben sein |
| du | wirst gestorben sein |
| er/sie/es | wird gestorben sein |
| wir | werden gestorben sein |
| ihr | werdet gestorben sein |
| sie/Sie | werden gestorben sein |
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | sterbe |
| du | sterbest |
| er/sie/es | sterbe |
| wir | sterben |
| ihr | sterbet |
| sie/Sie | sterben |
Konjunktiv II
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | stürbe |
| du | stürbest |
| er/sie/es | stürbe |
| wir | stürben |
| ihr | stürbet |
| sie/Sie | stürben |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | wäre gestorben |
| du | wärst gestorben |
| er/sie/es | wäre gestorben |
| wir | wären gestorben |
| ihr | wärt gestorben |
| sie/Sie | wären gestorben |
Imperative (Imperativ)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | stirb |
| wir | sterben |
| ihr | sterbt |
| sie/Sie | sterben |
Participles and infinitive
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle (Partizip I) | sterbend |
| Past participle (Partizip II) | gestorben |
| Infinitive | sterben |
When to use each tense
Present (Präsens)
The present tense is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With sterben 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 sterbe im hohen Alter.” — “I die at a great age.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
The preterite is used for completed actions in the past, especially in writing and narration. With sterben 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 starbst im hohen Alter.” — “You died at a great age.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
The Perfekt is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. With sterben it is formed with sein + the past participle gestorben. For example: “Er ist im hohen Alter gestorben.” — “He has died at a great age.”
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
The Plusquamperfekt is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Wir waren im hohen Alter gestorben.” — “We had died at a great age.”
Future (Futur I)
The Futur I is used for what will happen, predictions and promises. For example: “Ihr werdet im hohen Alter sterben.” — “You will die at a great age.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
The Futur II is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Sie werden im hohen Alter gestorben sein.” — “They will have died at a great age.”
Konjunktiv I
The Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech and indirect quotation. For example: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich im hohen Alter sterbe.” — “It is important that I die at a great age.”
Konjunktiv II
The Konjunktiv II is used for wishes, polite requests and hypothetical situations — it also doubles as the conditional. There is no separate würde tense in the tables: the Konjunktiv II forms below do the work of the conditional, and würde + infinitive is the periphrastic alternative you will hear in speech. For example: “Du stürbest im hohen Alter.” — “You would die at a great age if you could.”
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er wäre im hohen Alter gestorben.” — “He would have died at a great age if he had been able to.”
Imperative (Imperativ)
The imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. With sterben 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: “Stirb im hohen Alter!” — “Die at a great age!”
Participles and infinitive
The present participle is sterbend — “while dying” — used as an adjective or adverb. The past participle is gestorben, used with sein for the perfect tenses, as in bin gestorben. The infinitive is sterben.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with sterben, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich sterbe im hohen Alter.” — “I die at a great age.”
- “Du stirbst im hohen Alter.” — “You die at a great age.”
- “Er starb im hohen Alter.” — “He died at a great age.”
- “Ich bin im hohen Alter gestorben.” — “I have died at a great age.”
- “Er war im hohen Alter gestorben.” — “He had died at a great age.”
- “Wir werden im hohen Alter sterben.” — “We will die at a great age.”
- “Ich werde im hohen Alter gestorben sein.” — “I will have died at a great age.”
- “Es ist wichtig, dass ich im hohen Alter sterbe.” — “It is important that I die at a great age.”
- “Ich stürbe im hohen Alter.” — “I would die at a great age if I could.”
- “Stirb im hohen Alter!” — “Die at a great age!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich sterben im hohen Alter.”
✓ Right: “Ich sterbe im hohen Alter.”
The infinitive sterben never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form sterbe.
2. Confusing sterben with leben
✗ Wrong: “Ich leben im hohen Alter.” (using the wrong verb)
✓ Right: “Ich sterbe im hohen Alter.”
sterben means “to die”; leben means “to live”. Keep the two verbs apart by their meaning, not by their sound.
3. Applying the regular pattern to sterben
✗ Wrong: “Ich sterbte im hohen Alter.” (a guessed regular preterite)
✓ Right: “Ich starb im hohen Alter.”
sterben is irregular in present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. The preterite form for ich is starb, not what the regular -te endings would give — learn it as a set.
4. Using the indicative after a Konjunktiv I trigger
✗ Wrong: “Es ist wichtig, dass du im hohen Alter stirbst.”
✓ Right: “Es ist wichtig, dass du im hohen Alter sterbest.”
After es ist wichtig, dass German needs Konjunktiv I, so use sterbest here, not the indicative stirbst.
5. 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.
Quiz: test yourself
What is the ich form of sterben in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) sterben
- B) stirbt
- C) stirbst
- D) sterbe
What is the er/sie/es form of sterben in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) sterben
- B) stirbst
- C) sterbe
- D) stirbt
What is the ich form of sterben in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) starben
- B) starbst
- C) starbt
- D) starb
What is the ich form of sterben in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) bin gestorben
- B) seid gestorben
- C) bist gestorben
- D) sind gestorben
What is the wir form of sterben in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) wart gestorben
- B) war gestorben
- C) warst gestorben
- D) waren gestorben
What is the du form of sterben in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) werde sterben
- B) wirst sterben
- C) wird sterben
- D) werden sterben
What is the ich form of sterben in the Future perfect (Futur II)?
- A) wirst gestorben sein
- B) wird gestorben sein
- C) werden gestorben sein
- D) werde gestorben sein
What is the ich form of sterben in the Konjunktiv II?
- A) stürbest
- B) stürben
- C) stürbet
- D) stürbe
What is the past participle of sterben?
- A) sterbend
- B) starb
- C) gestorben
- D) sterbe
What does sterben mean in English?
- A) to come
- B) to die
- C) to do
- D) to live
Answer key
- D) sterbe — the ich form of sterben in the present tense is sterbe.
- D) stirbt — the er/sie/es form of sterben in the present tense is stirbt.
- D) starb — the ich form of sterben in the preterite is starb.
- A) bin gestorben — the ich form of sterben in the Perfekt is bin gestorben.
- D) waren gestorben — the wir form of sterben in the Plusquamperfekt is waren gestorben.
- B) wirst sterben — the du form of sterben in the Futur I is wirst sterben.
- D) werde gestorben sein — the ich form of sterben in the Futur II is werde gestorben sein.
- D) stürbe — the ich form of sterben in the Konjunktiv II is stürbe.
- C) gestorben — the past participle of sterben is gestorben; perfect tenses use sein + gestorben.
- B) to die — sterben means “to die” in English.
Frequently asked questions
What does sterben mean in English?
sterben means “to die”. You use it in everyday situations like the examples on this page — for example, “Er stirbt im hohen Alter.” (“He dies at a great age.”). It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is sterben regular or irregular?
sterben is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. The present participle is sterbend and the past participle is gestorben.
What are the participles of sterben?
The present participle is sterbend and the past participle is gestorben — use it with sein for the perfect tenses, as in bin gestorben.
What is the difference between sterben and leben?
sterben means “to die”, while leben means “to live”. They are easy to mix up because they appear in similar situations, but their meanings are different. If you are unsure, check the full conjugation page for leben and compare the meanings in context.
How do I say “I die” in German?
Say “Er stirbt im hohen Alter.” — “He dies at a great age.” The ich form of the present is sterbe, and it is the form you will use most often.
How to learn sterben
Start with the present tense: sterbe, stirbst, stirbt, sterben, sterbt, sterben. Say them in order every day for a week, then add the Perfekt — bin gestorben — and the Präteritum — starb. Next, learn the future (werde sterben) and the Konjunktiv II (stürbe), which also does the work of the conditional. Finally, tackle Konjunktiv I (sterbe) and the imperative (stirb). Write one sentence of your own in each tense, using the examples above as models, and check every form against the tables. When you can produce all six persons of the present without looking, move on to the quiz.
Related pages
- sterben in the Perfekt tense — the full table and uses for this verb in the Perfekt tense.
- sterben examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- German verbs — the full hub of German conjugation pages.
- German irregular verbs — every common irregular German verb, grouped by pattern.
- 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 sterben with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise sterben with the interactive tool.
- Perfect Tenses Builder — practise the perfect tenses with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.