Verkaufen Conjugation in German
verkaufen means “to sell” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 43 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You will meet it in everyday sentences such as “Ich verkaufe mein altes Auto.” — “I sell my old car.” — 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 verkaufen — every tense, every person, the present participle and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: verkaufen
- English: to sell
- Verb type: Irregular
- Irregular in: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative
- Present participle (Partizip I): verkaufend
- Past participle (Partizip II): verkauft
- 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 verkaufen, 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 verkaufen in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about verkaufen
- 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 verkauft. 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 verkaufend and verkauft: 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 verkaufen. 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 | verkaufe |
| du | verkaufst |
| er/sie/es | verkauft |
| wir | verkaufen |
| ihr | verkauft |
| sie/Sie | verkaufen |
The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With verkaufen 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 verkaufe Bücher auf dem Markt.” — “I sell books at the market.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | verkaufte |
| du | verkauftest |
| er/sie/es | verkaufte |
| wir | verkauften |
| ihr | verkauftet |
| sie/Sie | verkauften |
The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. With verkaufen 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 verkauftest Bücher auf dem Markt.” — “You sold books at the market.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe verkauft |
| du | hast verkauft |
| er/sie/es | hat verkauft |
| wir | haben verkauft |
| ihr | habt verkauft |
| sie/Sie | haben verkauft |
The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. For example: “Er hat Bücher auf dem Markt verkauft.” — “He has sold books at the market.”
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hatte verkauft |
| du | hattest verkauft |
| er/sie/es | hatte verkauft |
| wir | hatten verkauft |
| ihr | hattet verkauft |
| sie/Sie | hatten verkauft |
The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Ich hatte Bücher auf dem Markt verkauft.” — “I had sold books at the market.”
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde verkaufen |
| du | wirst verkaufen |
| er/sie/es | wird verkaufen |
| wir | werden verkaufen |
| ihr | werdet verkaufen |
| sie/Sie | werden verkaufen |
The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for intentions. For example: “Ich werde Bücher auf dem Markt verkaufen.” — “I will sell books at the market.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde verkauft haben |
| du | wirst verkauft haben |
| er/sie/es | wird verkauft haben |
| wir | werden verkauft haben |
| ihr | werdet verkauft haben |
| sie/Sie | werden verkauft haben |
The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Du wirst Bücher auf dem Markt verkauft haben.” — “You will have sold books at the market.”
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | verkaufe |
| du | verkaufest |
| er/sie/es | verkaufe |
| wir | verkaufen |
| ihr | verkaufet |
| sie/Sie | verkaufen |
Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech — reporting what someone else said — and in formal written German. For example: “Er verkaufe Bücher auf dem Markt.” — “He sells books at the market.”
Konjunktiv II (conditional)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | verkaufte |
| du | verkauftest |
| er/sie/es | verkaufte |
| wir | verkauften |
| ihr | verkauftet |
| sie/Sie | verkauften |
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 verkaufte Bücher auf dem Markt.” — “I would sell books at the market.”
Conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + participle)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hätte verkauft |
| du | hättest verkauft |
| er/sie/es | hätte verkauft |
| wir | hätten verkauft |
| ihr | hättet verkauft |
| sie/Sie | hätten verkauft |
The conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + past participle) is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er hätte Bücher auf dem Markt verkauft.” — “He would have sold books at the market.”
Imperative (Imperativ)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | verkauf |
| wir | verkaufen |
| ihr | verkauft |
| sie/Sie | verkaufen |
The imperative (Imperativ) is used for direct commands, requests and instructions. With verkaufen 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: “Verkauf Bücher auf dem Markt!” — “Sell books at the market!”
Present participle (Partizip I)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle (Partizip I) | verkaufend |
The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective or adverb, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle verkaufend 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) | verkauft |
The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich habe mein altes Auto verkauft.” — “I have sold my old car.”
Infinitive (Infinitiv)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | verkaufen |
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 verkaufen, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich verkaufe mein altes Auto.” — “I sell my old car.”
- “Du verkauftest Bücher auf dem Markt.” — “You sold books at the market.”
- “Er hat das Haus in Berlin verkauft.” — “He has sold the house in Berlin.”
- “Ich werde mein altes Auto verkaufen.” — “I will sell my old car.”
- “Du verkauftest Bücher auf dem Markt.” — “You would sell books at the market.”
- “Ich hatte das Haus in Berlin verkauft.” — “I had sold the house in Berlin.”
- “Du wirst Bücher auf dem Markt verkauft haben.” — “You will have sold books at the market.”
- “Er verkaufe das Haus in Berlin.” — “He sells the house in Berlin.”
- “Ich hätte mein altes Auto verkauft.” — “I would have sold my old car.”
- “Verkauf mein altes Auto!” — “Sell my old car!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich verkaufen mein altes Auto.”
✓ Right: “Ich verkaufe mein altes Auto.”
The infinitive verkaufen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form verkaufe.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Ich verkaufen mein altes Auto.”
✓ Right: “Ich verkaufe mein altes Auto.”
verkaufen is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with verkaufe.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Ich verkaufe mein altes Auto gestern.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe mein altes Auto verkauft.”
The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt habe verkauft, not the present.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich bin mein altes Auto verkauft.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe mein altes Auto verkauft.”
The Perfekt of verkaufen is formed with haben plus the past participle verkauft: the ich form is habe verkauft. 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 verkaufte mein altes Auto gestern.” (in everyday speech)
✓ Right: “Ich habe mein altes Auto verkauft.”
In everyday spoken German the Perfekt habe verkauft is the usual past tense. The preterite verkaufte is correct in writing and in stories, but it sounds formal in conversation.
6. Using the du form when talking to a group
✗ Wrong: “Verkauf mein altes Auto!” (said to several people)
✓ Right: “Verkauft mein altes Auto!”
The du imperative verkauf is for one person you know well. For a group, use the ihr form verkauft.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on verkaufen. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the ich form of verkaufen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) verkaufst
- B) verkauft
- C) verkaufen
- D) verkaufe
What is the er/sie/es form of verkaufen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) verkauftest
- B) verkauften
- C) verkauftet
- D) verkaufte
What is the er/sie/es form of verkaufen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) habe verkauft
- B) hast verkauft
- C) haben verkauft
- D) hat verkauft
What is the du form of verkaufen in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) wirst verkaufen
- B) werde verkaufen
- C) wird verkaufen
- D) werden verkaufen
What is the ich form of verkaufen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional)?
- A) verkauftest
- B) verkauften
- C) verkauftet
- D) verkaufte
What is the wir form of verkaufen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) hatten verkauft
- B) hatte verkauft
- C) hattest verkauft
- D) hattet verkauft
What is the er/sie/es form of verkaufen in the Konjunktiv I?
- A) verkaufest
- B) verkaufen
- C) verkaufet
- D) verkaufe
What is the du form of verkaufen in the Imperative (Imperativ)?
- A) verkauf
- B) verkaufen
- C) verkauft
- D) verkaufst
What is the past participle of verkaufen?
- A) verkauft
- B) bezahlt
- C) gewesen
- D) gehabt
What does verkaufen mean in English?
- A) to have
- B) to sell
- C) to pay
- D) to be
Answer key
- D) verkaufe — the ich form of verkaufen in the Present (Präsens) is verkaufe. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) verkaufte — the er/sie/es form of verkaufen in the Preterite (Präteritum) is verkaufte. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) hat verkauft — the er/sie/es form of verkaufen in the Perfect (Perfekt) is hat verkauft. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) wirst verkaufen — the du form of verkaufen in the Future (Futur I) is wirst verkaufen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) verkaufte — the ich form of verkaufen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional) is verkaufte. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) hatten verkauft — the wir form of verkaufen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is hatten verkauft. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) verkaufe — the er/sie/es form of verkaufen in the Konjunktiv I is verkaufe. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) verkauf — the du form of verkaufen in the Imperative (Imperativ) is verkauf. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) verkauft — the past participle of verkaufen is verkauft; it is used with haben in the perfect tenses. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- B) to sell — verkaufen means “to sell” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does verkaufen mean in English?
verkaufen means “to sell”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is verkaufen regular or irregular?
verkaufen is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. The present participle is verkaufend and the past participle is verkauft.
What are the participles of verkaufen?
The present participle (Partizip I) is verkaufend — use it as an adjective for an ongoing action. The past participle (Partizip II) is verkauft — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe verkauft.
Which auxiliary does verkaufen take in the Perfekt?
verkaufen takes haben in the Perfekt: the ich form is habe verkauft. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with haben plus the past participle verkauft.
Does German have a separate conditional tense?
No. Konjunktiv II doubles as the conditional: the ich form verkaufte 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 verkauft covers “would have” meanings.
How do I say “I sell my old car” in German?
Say “Ich verkaufe mein altes Auto.” — “I sell my old car.” The ich form of the present is verkaufe, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of verkaufen — every tense of verkaufen in one place.
- Verkaufen in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Verkaufen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Bezahlen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Sein conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Haben 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 verkaufen with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise verkaufen with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise verkaufen with the interactive tool.