Studieren Conjugation in German

studieren means “to study” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 139 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You will meet it in everyday sentences such as “Ich studiere Medizin in Berlin.” — “I study medicine in Berlin.” — 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 studieren — every tense, every person, the present participle and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: studieren
  • English: to study
  • Verb type: Regular
  • Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
  • Present participle (Partizip I): studierend
  • Past participle (Partizip II): studiert
  • Auxiliary: haben (all perfect tenses are formed with haben + the past participle)
  • Pattern: weak in the verified tables

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for studieren, 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 studieren in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.

Three things to remember about studieren

  1. It is regular: every form follows the ordinary weak pattern, so once you know the stem you can build the whole table. The only work is learning the endings, not memorising exceptions.
  2. The perfect tenses use haben: the Perfekt is formed with haben in the present plus the past participle studiert. 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.
  3. The participles are studierend and studiert: 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 studieren. 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 studiere
du studierst
er/sie/es studiert
wir studieren
ihr studiert
sie/Sie studieren

The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Ich studiere jeden Tag in der Bibliothek.” — “I study in the library every day.”

Preterite (Präteritum)

Person Form
ich studierte
du studiertest
er/sie/es studierte
wir studierten
ihr studiertet
sie/Sie studierten

The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. For example: “Du studiertest jeden Tag in der Bibliothek.” — “You studied in the library every day.”

Perfect (Perfekt)

Person Form
ich habe studiert
du hast studiert
er/sie/es hat studiert
wir haben studiert
ihr habt studiert
sie/Sie haben studiert

The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. For example: “Er hat jeden Tag in der Bibliothek studiert.” — “He has studied in the library every day.”

Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)

Person Form
ich hatte studiert
du hattest studiert
er/sie/es hatte studiert
wir hatten studiert
ihr hattet studiert
sie/Sie hatten studiert

The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Ich hatte jeden Tag in der Bibliothek studiert.” — “I had studied in the library every day.”

Future (Futur I)

Person Form
ich werde studieren
du wirst studieren
er/sie/es wird studieren
wir werden studieren
ihr werdet studieren
sie/Sie werden studieren

The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for intentions. For example: “Ich werde jeden Tag in der Bibliothek studieren.” — “I will study in the library every day.”

Future perfect (Futur II)

Person Form
ich werde studiert haben
du wirst studiert haben
er/sie/es wird studiert haben
wir werden studiert haben
ihr werdet studiert haben
sie/Sie werden studiert haben

The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Du wirst jeden Tag in der Bibliothek studiert haben.” — “You will have studied in the library every day.”

Konjunktiv I

Person Form
ich studiere
du studierest
er/sie/es studiere
wir studieren
ihr studiert
sie/Sie studieren

Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech — reporting what someone else said — and in formal written German. For example: “Er studiere jeden Tag in der Bibliothek.” — “He studies in the library every day.”

Konjunktiv II (conditional)

Person Form
ich studierte
du studiertest
er/sie/es studierte
wir studierten
ihr studiertet
sie/Sie studierten

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 studierte jeden Tag in der Bibliothek.” — “I would study in the library every day.”

Conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + participle)

Person Form
ich hätte studiert
du hättest studiert
er/sie/es hätte studiert
wir hätten studiert
ihr hättet studiert
sie/Sie hätten studiert

The conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + past participle) is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er hätte jeden Tag in der Bibliothek studiert.” — “He would have studied in the library every day.”

Imperative (Imperativ)

Person Form
du studier
wir studieren
ihr studiert
sie/Sie studieren

The imperative (Imperativ) is used for direct commands, requests and instructions. For example: “Studier jeden Tag in der Bibliothek!” — “Study in the library every day!”

Present participle (Partizip I)

Form German
Present participle (Partizip I) studierend

The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective or adverb, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle studierend 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) studiert

The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich habe Medizin in Berlin studiert.” — “I have studied medicine in Berlin.”

Infinitive (Infinitiv)

Form German
Infinitive studieren

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 studieren, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.

  1. “Ich studiere Medizin in Berlin.” — “I study medicine in Berlin.”
  2. “Du studiertest jeden Tag in der Bibliothek.” — “You studied in the library every day.”
  3. “Er hat Geschichte an der Universität studiert.” — “He has studied history at university.”
  4. “Ich werde Medizin in Berlin studieren.” — “I will study medicine in Berlin.”
  5. “Du studiertest jeden Tag in der Bibliothek.” — “You would study in the library every day.”
  6. “Ich hatte Geschichte an der Universität studiert.” — “I had studied history at university.”
  7. “Du wirst jeden Tag in der Bibliothek studiert haben.” — “You will have studied in the library every day.”
  8. “Er studiere Geschichte an der Universität.” — “He studies history at university.”
  9. “Ich hätte Medizin in Berlin studiert.” — “I would have studied medicine in Berlin.”
  10. “Studier Medizin in Berlin!” — “Study medicine in Berlin!”

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Ich studieren Medizin in Berlin.”

✓ Right: “Ich studiere Medizin in Berlin.”

The infinitive studieren never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form studiere.

2. Using the wrong person’s form

✗ Wrong: “Ich studieren Medizin in Berlin.”

✓ Right: “Ich studiere Medizin in Berlin.”

studieren is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with studiere.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Ich studiere Medizin in Berlin gestern.”

✓ Right: “Ich habe Medizin in Berlin studiert.”

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

4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt

✗ Wrong: “Ich bin Medizin in Berlin studiert.”

✓ Right: “Ich habe Medizin in Berlin studiert.”

The Perfekt of studieren is formed with haben plus the past participle studiert: the ich form is habe studiert. 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 studierte Medizin in Berlin gestern.” (in everyday speech)

✓ Right: “Ich habe Medizin in Berlin studiert.”

In everyday spoken German the Perfekt habe studiert is the usual past tense. The preterite studierte is correct in writing and in stories, but it sounds formal in conversation.

6. Using the du form when talking to a group

✗ Wrong: “Studier Medizin in Berlin!” (said to several people)

✓ Right: “Studiert Medizin in Berlin!”

The du imperative studier is for one person you know well. For a group, use the ihr form studiert.

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) studierst
    • B) studiert
    • C) studieren
    • D) studiere

  2. What is the er/sie/es form of studieren in the Preterite (Präteritum)?

    • A) studiertest
    • B) studierten
    • C) studiertet
    • D) studierte

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

    • A) habe studiert
    • B) hast studiert
    • C) haben studiert
    • D) hat studiert

  4. What is the du form of studieren in the Future (Futur I)?

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

  5. What is the ich form of studieren in the Konjunktiv II (conditional)?

    • A) studiertest
    • B) studierten
    • C) studiertet
    • D) studierte

  6. What is the wir form of studieren in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?

    • A) hatten studiert
    • B) hatte studiert
    • C) hattest studiert
    • D) hattet studiert

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

    • A) studierest
    • B) studieren
    • C) studiert
    • D) studiere

  8. What is the du form of studieren in the Imperative (Imperativ)?

    • A) studier
    • B) studieren
    • C) studiert
    • D) studierst

  9. What is the past participle of studieren?

    • A) studiert
    • B) gelesen
    • C) geschrieben
    • D) verstanden

  10. What does studieren mean in English?

  • A) to study
  • B) to read
  • C) to write
  • D) to understand

Answer key

  1. D) studiere — the ich form of studieren in the Present (Präsens) is studiere. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. D) studierte — the er/sie/es form of studieren in the Preterite (Präteritum) is studierte. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) hat studiert — the er/sie/es form of studieren in the Perfect (Perfekt) is hat studiert. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) wirst studieren — the du form of studieren in the Future (Futur I) is wirst studieren. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. D) studierte — the ich form of studieren in the Konjunktiv II (conditional) is studierte. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. A) hatten studiert — the wir form of studieren in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is hatten studiert. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) studiere — the er/sie/es form of studieren in the Konjunktiv I is studiere. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) studier — the du form of studieren in the Imperative (Imperativ) is studier. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. A) studiert — the past participle of studieren is studiert; it is used with haben in the perfect tenses. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
  10. A) to study — studieren means “to study” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.

Frequently asked questions

What does studieren mean in English?

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

Is studieren regular or irregular?

studieren is regular: it follows the ordinary weak pattern in every tense. The present participle is studierend and the past participle is studiert.

What are the participles of studieren?

The present participle (Partizip I) is studierend — use it as an adjective for an ongoing action. The past participle (Partizip II) is studiert — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe studiert.

Which auxiliary does studieren take in the Perfekt?

studieren takes haben in the Perfekt: the ich form is habe studiert. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with haben plus the past participle studiert.

Does German have a separate conditional tense?

No. Konjunktiv II doubles as the conditional: the ich form studierte 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 studiert covers “would have” meanings.

How do I say “I study medicine in Berlin” in German?

Say “Ich studiere Medizin in Berlin.” — “I study medicine in Berlin.” The ich form of the present is studiere, and it is the form you will use most often.

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