Trinken Conjugation in German
trinken means “to drink” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 29 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You will meet it in everyday sentences such as “Ich trinke einen Kaffee am Morgen.” — “I drink a coffee in the morning.” — 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 trinken — every tense, every person, the present participle and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: trinken
- English: to drink
- Verb type: Irregular
- Irregular in: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative
- Present participle (Partizip I): trinkend
- Past participle (Partizip II): getrunken
- Auxiliary: haben (all perfect tenses are formed with haben + the past participle)
- Pattern: strong in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for trinken, 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 trinken in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about trinken
- It is irregular in 4 tense(s): present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. Learn those forms as a set rather than guessing them from the infinitive, because the regular pattern will not produce them.
- The perfect tenses use haben: the Perfekt is formed with haben in the present plus the past participle getrunken. 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.
- The participles are trinkend and getrunken: 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 trinken. 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 | trinke |
| du | trinkst |
| er/sie/es | trinkt |
| wir | trinken |
| ihr | trinkt |
| sie/Sie | trinken |
The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With trinken 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 trinke Wasser nach dem Sport.” — “I drink water after sport.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | trank |
| du | trankst |
| er/sie/es | trank |
| wir | tranken |
| ihr | trankt |
| sie/Sie | tranken |
The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. With trinken 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 trankst Wasser nach dem Sport.” — “You drank water after sport.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe getrunken |
| du | hast getrunken |
| er/sie/es | hat getrunken |
| wir | haben getrunken |
| ihr | habt getrunken |
| sie/Sie | haben getrunken |
The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. For example: “Er hat Wasser nach dem Sport getrunken.” — “He has drunk water after sport.”
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hatte getrunken |
| du | hattest getrunken |
| er/sie/es | hatte getrunken |
| wir | hatten getrunken |
| ihr | hattet getrunken |
| sie/Sie | hatten getrunken |
The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Ich hatte Wasser nach dem Sport getrunken.” — “I had drunk water after sport.”
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde trinken |
| du | wirst trinken |
| er/sie/es | wird trinken |
| wir | werden trinken |
| ihr | werdet trinken |
| sie/Sie | werden trinken |
The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for intentions. For example: “Ich werde Wasser nach dem Sport trinken.” — “I will drink water after sport.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde getrunken haben |
| du | wirst getrunken haben |
| er/sie/es | wird getrunken haben |
| wir | werden getrunken haben |
| ihr | werdet getrunken haben |
| sie/Sie | werden getrunken haben |
The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Du wirst Wasser nach dem Sport getrunken haben.” — “You will have drunk water after sport.”
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | trinke |
| du | trinkest |
| er/sie/es | trinke |
| wir | trinken |
| ihr | trinket |
| sie/Sie | trinken |
Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech — reporting what someone else said — and in formal written German. For example: “Er trinke Wasser nach dem Sport.” — “He drinks water after sport.”
Konjunktiv II (conditional)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | tränke |
| du | tränkest |
| er/sie/es | tränke |
| wir | tränken |
| ihr | tränket |
| sie/Sie | tränken |
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 tränke Wasser nach dem Sport.” — “I would drink water after sport.”
Conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + participle)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hätte getrunken |
| du | hättest getrunken |
| er/sie/es | hätte getrunken |
| wir | hätten getrunken |
| ihr | hättet getrunken |
| sie/Sie | hätten getrunken |
The conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + past participle) is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er hätte Wasser nach dem Sport getrunken.” — “He would have drunk water after sport.”
Imperative (Imperativ)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | trink |
| wir | trinken |
| ihr | trinkt |
| sie/Sie | trinken |
The imperative (Imperativ) is used for direct commands, requests and instructions. With trinken 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: “Trink Wasser nach dem Sport!” — “Drink water after sport!”
Present participle (Partizip I)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle (Partizip I) | trinkend |
The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective or adverb, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle trinkend 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) | getrunken |
The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich habe einen Kaffee am Morgen getrunken.” — “I have drunk a coffee in the morning.”
Infinitive (Infinitiv)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | trinken |
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 trinken, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich trinke einen Kaffee am Morgen.” — “I drink a coffee in the morning.”
- “Du trankst Wasser nach dem Sport.” — “You drank water after sport.”
- “Er hat Tee am Abend getrunken.” — “He has drunk tea in the evening.”
- “Ich werde einen Kaffee am Morgen trinken.” — “I will drink a coffee in the morning.”
- “Du tränkest Wasser nach dem Sport.” — “You would drink water after sport.”
- “Ich hatte Tee am Abend getrunken.” — “I had drunk tea in the evening.”
- “Du wirst Wasser nach dem Sport getrunken haben.” — “You will have drunk water after sport.”
- “Er trinke Tee am Abend.” — “He drinks tea in the evening.”
- “Ich hätte einen Kaffee am Morgen getrunken.” — “I would have drunk a coffee in the morning.”
- “Trink einen Kaffee am Morgen!” — “Drink a coffee in the morning!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich trinken einen Kaffee am Morgen.”
✓ Right: “Ich trinke einen Kaffee am Morgen.”
The infinitive trinken never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form trinke.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Ich trinken einen Kaffee am Morgen.”
✓ Right: “Ich trinke einen Kaffee am Morgen.”
trinken is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with trinke.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Ich trinke einen Kaffee am Morgen gestern.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe einen Kaffee am Morgen getrunken.”
The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt habe getrunken, not the present.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich bin einen Kaffee am Morgen getrunken.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe einen Kaffee am Morgen getrunken.”
The Perfekt of trinken is formed with haben plus the past participle getrunken: the ich form is habe getrunken. 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 trank einen Kaffee am Morgen gestern.” (in everyday speech)
✓ Right: “Ich habe einen Kaffee am Morgen getrunken.”
In everyday spoken German the Perfekt habe getrunken is the usual past tense. The preterite trank is correct in writing and in stories, but it sounds formal in conversation.
6. Using the du form when talking to a group
✗ Wrong: “Trink einen Kaffee am Morgen!” (said to several people)
✓ Right: “Trinkt einen Kaffee am Morgen!”
The du imperative trink is for one person you know well. For a group, use the ihr form trinkt.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on trinken. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the ich form of trinken in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) trinkst
- B) trinkt
- C) trinken
- D) trinke
What is the er/sie/es form of trinken in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) trank
- B) trankst
- C) tranken
- D) trankt
What is the er/sie/es form of trinken in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) hat getrunken
- B) habe getrunken
- C) hast getrunken
- D) haben getrunken
What is the du form of trinken in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) wirst trinken
- B) werde trinken
- C) wird trinken
- D) werden trinken
What is the ich form of trinken in the Konjunktiv II (conditional)?
- A) tränke
- B) tränkest
- C) tränken
- D) tränket
What is the wir form of trinken in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) hattet getrunken
- B) hatten getrunken
- C) hatte getrunken
- D) hattest getrunken
What is the er/sie/es form of trinken in the Konjunktiv I?
- A) trinkest
- B) trinken
- C) trinket
- D) trinke
What is the du form of trinken in the Imperative (Imperativ)?
- A) trink
- B) trinken
- C) trinkt
- D) trinkst
What is the past participle of trinken?
- A) angefangen
- B) getrunken
- C) geschlafen
- D) aufgestanden
What does trinken mean in English?
- A) to start
- B) to drink
- C) to sleep
- D) to get up
Answer key
- D) trinke — the ich form of trinken in the Present (Präsens) is trinke. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) trank — the er/sie/es form of trinken in the Preterite (Präteritum) is trank. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) hat getrunken — the er/sie/es form of trinken in the Perfect (Perfekt) is hat getrunken. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) wirst trinken — the du form of trinken in the Future (Futur I) is wirst trinken. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) tränke — the ich form of trinken in the Konjunktiv II (conditional) is tränke. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) hatten getrunken — the wir form of trinken in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is hatten getrunken. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) trinke — the er/sie/es form of trinken in the Konjunktiv I is trinke. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) trink — the du form of trinken in the Imperative (Imperativ) is trink. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) getrunken — the past participle of trinken is getrunken; it is used with haben in the perfect tenses. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- B) to drink — trinken means “to drink” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does trinken mean in English?
trinken means “to drink”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is trinken regular or irregular?
trinken is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. The present participle is trinkend and the past participle is getrunken.
What are the participles of trinken?
The present participle (Partizip I) is trinkend — use it as an adjective for an ongoing action. The past participle (Partizip II) is getrunken — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe getrunken.
Which auxiliary does trinken take in the Perfekt?
trinken takes haben in the Perfekt: the ich form is habe getrunken. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with haben plus the past participle getrunken.
Does German have a separate conditional tense?
No. Konjunktiv II doubles as the conditional: the ich form tränke 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 getrunken covers “would have” meanings.
How do I say “I drink a coffee in the morning” in German?
Say “Ich trinke einen Kaffee am Morgen.” — “I drink a coffee in the morning.” The ich form of the present is trinke, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of trinken — every tense of trinken in one place.
- Trinken in the Perfekt tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Trinken examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Schlafen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Aufstehen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Anfangen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- German irregular verbs — every common irregular German verb, grouped by pattern.
- German verbs — the full hub of German conjugation pages.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — practise trinken with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise trinken with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise trinken with the interactive tool.