Telefonieren Present Tense Conjugation in German

The present tense of telefonieren — “to phone” — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. This page gives you the complete present tense table for telefonieren, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Ich telefoniere mit meiner Mutter am Abend.” — “I phone with my mother in the evening.”

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

Present Tense conjugation of telefonieren

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for telefonieren. telefonieren is a regular weak verb, so you can build the present tense from the regular endings once you know the stem.

Present (Präsens) — telefonieren

Person	Form
ich	telefoniere
du	telefonierst
er/sie/es	telefoniert
wir	telefonieren
ihr	telefoniert
sie/Sie	telefonieren

The present participle of telefonieren is telefonierend and the past participle is telefoniert. You need the participle for the perfect tenses, and the present participle for adjectival use.

How the present tense of telefonieren is formed

For a regular weak verb, the present tense is built on the stem telefonier- (the infinitive telefonieren without its -en ending) plus the present tense endings: ich → telefoniere, du → telefonierst, er/sie/es → telefoniert, wir → telefonieren, ihr → telefoniert, sie/Sie → telefonieren. So telefonieren gives telefoniere, telefonierst, telefoniert, telefonieren, telefoniert, telefonieren.

When to use the present tense of telefonieren

1. Habits and routines

Use the present tense for habits and routines. For example, with telefonieren: “Ich telefoniere mit meiner Mutter am Abend.” — “I phone with my mother in the evening.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

2. General truths and facts

Use the present tense for general truths and facts. For example, with telefonieren: “Du telefonierst mit meiner Mutter am Abend.” — “You phone with my mother in the evening.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

3. What is happening right now

Use the present tense for what is happening right now. For example, with telefonieren: “Er telefoniert mit meiner Mutter am Abend.” — “He phones with my mother in the evening.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

4. Scheduled plans and the near future

Use the present tense for scheduled plans and the near future. For example, with telefonieren: “Wir telefonieren mit meiner Mutter am Abend.” — “We phone with my mother in the evening.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

5. Narration and instructions

Use the present tense for narration and instructions. For example, with telefonieren: “Sie telefonieren mit meiner Mutter am Abend.” — “They phone with my mother in the evening.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

Present vs future: telefonieren now, telefonieren later

The present and the future both talk about things that have not happened yet in one sense, but they are not interchangeable. The present is for what is true now or already fixed; the future is for what will happen and is not yet certain. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the future form from the full conjugation table.

• Present: “Ich telefoniere mit meiner Mutter am Abend.” — “I phone with my mother in the evening.”

• Future: “Ich werde mit meiner Mutter am Abend telefonieren.” — “I will phone with my mother in the evening.”

• Present: “Du telefonierst mit meiner Mutter am Abend.” — “You phone with my mother in the evening.”

• Future: “Du wirst mit meiner Mutter am Abend telefonieren.” — “You will phone with my mother in the evening.”

• Present: “Wir telefonieren mit meiner Mutter am Abend.” — “We phone with my mother in the evening.”

• Future: “Wir werden mit meiner Mutter am Abend telefonieren.” — “We will phone with my mother in the evening.”

Example sentences: telefonieren in the present tense

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

• “Ich telefoniere mit meiner Mutter am Abend.” — “I phone with my mother in the evening.”
• “Du telefonierst mit meiner Mutter am Abend.” — “You phone with my mother in the evening.”
• “Er telefoniert mit meiner Mutter am Abend.” — “He phones with my mother in the evening.”
• “Wir telefonieren mit meiner Mutter am Abend.” — “We phone with my mother in the evening.”
• “Ihr telefoniert mit meiner Mutter am Abend.” — “You phone with my mother in the evening.”
• “Sie telefonieren mit meiner Mutter am Abend.” — “They phone with my mother in the evening.”

Common mistakes with telefonieren in the present tense

1. Using the infinitive instead of the present

✗ Wrong: “Ich telefonieren mit meiner Mutter am Abend.”

✓ Right: “Ich telefoniere mit meiner Mutter am Abend.”

The infinitive never takes a subject; use the conjugated form telefoniere.

2. Mixing up the persons

✗ Wrong: “Du telefoniere mit meiner Mutter am Abend.”

✓ Right: “Du telefonierst mit meiner Mutter am Abend.”

After du you need telefonierst, not the ich form telefoniere. Each person has its own ending.

3. Using the future for a habit

✗ Wrong: “Ich werde mit meiner Mutter am Abend telefonieren.”

✓ Right: “Ich telefoniere mit meiner Mutter am Abend.”

A habit that happens every day takes the present (telefoniere), not the future.

4. Using the Präteritum for something happening now

✗ Wrong: “Ich telefonierte mit meiner Mutter am Abend.”

✓ Right: “Ich telefoniere mit meiner Mutter am Abend.”

Something happening right now takes the present (telefoniere), not the Präteritum.

Quiz: telefonieren in the present tense

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

   • A) telefoniert
   • B) telefoniere
   • C) telefonierst
   • D) telefonieren

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

   • A) telefonierst
   • B) telefoniert
   • C) telefonieren
   • D) telefoniere

3. What is the er/sie/es form of telefonieren in the Present (Präsens)?

   • A) telefoniere
   • B) telefonierst
   • C) telefonieren
   • D) telefoniert

4. What is the wir form of telefonieren in the Present (Präsens)?

   • A) telefoniere
   • B) telefonierst
   • C) telefoniert
   • D) telefonieren

5. What is the ihr form of telefonieren in the Present (Präsens)?

   • A) telefonieren
   • B) telefonierst
   • C) telefoniere
   • D) telefoniert

6. What is the sie/Sie form of telefonieren in the Present (Präsens)?

   • A) telefonieren
   • B) telefoniere
   • C) telefonierst
   • D) telefoniert

7. What is the past participle of telefonieren?

   • A) telefoniert
   • B) telefoniere
   • C) telefonierte
   • D) telefonierend

8. Which auxiliary does telefonieren take in the Perfekt?

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

Answer key

1. B) telefoniere — the ich form of telefonieren in the present tense is telefoniere.
2. A) telefonierst — the du form of telefonieren in the present tense is telefonierst.
3. D) telefoniert — the er/sie/es form of telefonieren in the present tense is telefoniert.
4. D) telefonieren — the wir form of telefonieren in the present tense is telefonieren.
5. D) telefoniert — the ihr form of telefonieren in the present tense is telefoniert.
6. A) telefonieren — the sie/Sie form of telefonieren in the present tense is telefonieren.
7. A) telefoniert — the past participle of telefonieren is telefoniert; the Perfekt uses haben + telefoniert.
8. A) haben — telefonieren takes haben in the Perfekt: habe telefoniert.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present tense of telefonieren formed?

From the stem plus the present endings: ich → telefoniere, du → telefonierst, er/sie/es → telefoniert, wir → telefonieren, ihr → telefoniert, sie/Sie → telefonieren. The German present tense guide explains the pattern for all verbs.

Is telefonieren regular in the present tense?

Yes — telefonieren is regular in the present tense: 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 telefonieren?

The past participle is telefoniert. Use it with haben for the Perfekt, as in habe telefoniert, and with haben in the past for the Plusquamperfekt, as in hatte telefoniert.

Related pages

• telefonieren conjugation — the full conjugation tables for this verb in every tense.
• telefonieren examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
• German verbs — the full hub of German conjugation pages.
• German present tense guide — how this tense works for regular verbs.
• 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 telefonieren with the interactive tool.
• Verb Quiz — practise telefonieren with the interactive tool.
• Present Tense Conjugator — practise the present tense with the interactive tool.
• VerbFlow home — back to the start.