Versuchen Conjugation in German
versuchen means “to try” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 70 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You use it whenever you talk about trying the new recipe, 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 versuchen — every tense, every person, both participles and the infinitive — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Ich versuche das neue Rezept jeden Tag.” — “I try the new recipe every day.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: versuchen
- English: to try
- Verb type: Irregular
- Irregular in: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative
- Pattern: weak
- Separable: no
- Participle I: versuchend
- Past participle (Partizip II): versucht
- Auxiliary: haben (all perfect tenses are formed with haben + the past participle)
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for versuchen, 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 versuchen in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about versuchen
- 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 perfect is formed with haben in the present plus the past participle versucht. The tables on this page give the participle in the uninflected form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.
- Partizip I is versuchend and Partizip II is versucht: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because Partizip I appears in adjectival uses and Partizip II 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 versuchen. 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 | versuche |
| du | versuchst |
| er/sie/es | versucht |
| wir | versuchen |
| ihr | versucht |
| sie/Sie | versuchen |
The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With versuchen 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 versuche den Kuchen jeden Tag.” — “I try the cake every day.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | versuchte |
| du | versuchtest |
| er/sie/es | versuchte |
| wir | versuchten |
| ihr | versuchtet |
| sie/Sie | versuchten |
The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. With versuchen 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 versuchtest den Kuchen gestern.” — “You tried the cake yesterday.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe versucht |
| du | hast versucht |
| er/sie/es | hat versucht |
| wir | haben versucht |
| ihr | habt versucht |
| sie/Sie | haben versucht |
The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. For example: “Er hat den Kuchen versucht gestern.” — “He has tried the cake yesterday.”
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hatte versucht |
| du | hattest versucht |
| er/sie/es | hatte versucht |
| wir | hatten versucht |
| ihr | hattet versucht |
| sie/Sie | hatten versucht |
The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Wir hatten den Kuchen versucht vor der Party.” — “We had tried the cake before the party.”
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde versuchen |
| du | wirst versuchen |
| er/sie/es | wird versuchen |
| wir | werden versuchen |
| ihr | werdet versuchen |
| sie/Sie | werden versuchen |
The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Ich werde den Kuchen versuchen morgen.” — “I will try the cake tomorrow.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde versucht haben |
| du | wirst versucht haben |
| er/sie/es | wird versucht haben |
| wir | werden versucht haben |
| ihr | werdet versucht haben |
| sie/Sie | werden versucht haben |
The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Du wirst den Kuchen versucht haben bis morgen.” — “You will have tried the cake by tomorrow.”
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | versuche |
| du | versuchest |
| er/sie/es | versuche |
| wir | versuchen |
| ihr | versuchet |
| sie/Sie | versuchen |
Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech and indirect quotation. For example: “Es ist wichtig, dass er versuche den Kuchen.” — “It is important that he try the cake.”
Konjunktiv II
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | versuchte |
| du | versuchtest |
| er/sie/es | versuchte |
| wir | versuchten |
| ihr | versuchtet |
| sie/Sie | versuchten |
Konjunktiv II is used for wishes, hypothetical situations and polite requests. It doubles as the conditional: there is no separate würde tense in the tables, and the periphrastic alternative with würde plus the infinitive is a way of expressing the same meaning, not a tense of its own. For example: “Ich versuchte den Kuchen eines Tages.” — “I would try the cake one day.”
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hätte versucht |
| du | hättest versucht |
| er/sie/es | hätte versucht |
| wir | hätten versucht |
| ihr | hättet versucht |
| sie/Sie | hätten versucht |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er hätte den Kuchen versucht gestern.” — “He would have tried the cake yesterday.”
Imperative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | versuch |
| wir | versuchen |
| ihr | versucht |
| sie | versuchen |
The imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. With versuchen 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: “Versuch den Kuchen!” — “Try the cake!”
Present participle (Partizip I)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle | versuchend |
The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective and for describing an action in progress. For example, the participle versuchend describes something that is trying. The present-tense sentence “Ich versuche das neue Rezept jeden Tag.” — “I try the new recipe every day.” shows the same verb in action.
Past participle (Partizip II)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Past participle | versucht |
The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich habe das neue Rezept versucht gestern.” — “I have tried the new recipe yesterday.”
Infinitive
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | versuchen |
The infinitive is the dictionary form of the verb, used after modal verbs and in infinitive constructions. The infinitive versuchen is the form you look up in a dictionary. In a sentence it appears after a modal verb or with zu, and in the future it follows werden, as in “Ich werde das neue Rezept versuchen morgen.” — “I will try the new recipe tomorrow.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with versuchen, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich versuche das neue Rezept jeden Tag.” — “I try the new recipe every day.”
- “Du versuchtest den Kuchen gestern.” — “You tried the cake yesterday.”
- “Er hat das Spiel versucht gestern.” — “He has tried the game yesterday.”
- “Wir hatten das neue Rezept versucht vor der Party.” — “We had tried the new recipe before the party.”
- “Ich werde den Kuchen versuchen morgen.” — “I will try the cake tomorrow.”
- “Du wirst das Spiel versucht haben bis morgen.” — “You will have tried the game by tomorrow.”
- “Es ist wichtig, dass er versuche das neue Rezept.” — “It is important that he try the new recipe.”
- “Ich versuchte den Kuchen eines Tages.” — “I would try the cake one day.”
- “Er hätte das Spiel versucht gestern.” — “He would have tried the game yesterday.”
- “Versuch das neue Rezept!” — “Try the new recipe!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich versuchen das neue Rezept.”
✓ Right: “Ich versuche das neue Rezept.”
The infinitive versuchen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form versuche.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Ich versuchen das neue Rezept.”
✓ Right: “Ich versuche das neue Rezept.”
versuchen is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with versuche.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Ich versuche das neue Rezept gestern.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe das neue Rezept versucht gestern.”
The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt habe versucht, not the present.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich versuche das neue Rezept.”
✓ Right: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich versuche das neue Rezept.”
After es ist wichtig, dass German needs Konjunktiv I, so use versuche here, not the indicative versuche.
5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich bin versucht das neue Rezept.”
✓ Right: “habe versucht das neue Rezept.”
The Perfekt of versuchen is formed with haben plus the past participle versucht: the ich form is habe versucht. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
6. Using the preterite for a daily habit
✗ Wrong: “Ich versuchte das neue Rezept jeden Tag.”
✓ Right: “Ich versuche das neue Rezept jeden Tag.”
The preterite versuchte describes a past action. For something you do every day, use the present versuche.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on versuchen. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the ich form of versuchen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) versuchst
- B) versucht
- C) versuchen
- D) versuche
What is the du form of versuchen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) versuchtest
- B) versuchte
- C) versuchten
- D) versuchtet
What is the er/sie/es form of versuchen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) habe versucht
- B) hast versucht
- C) haben versucht
- D) hat versucht
What is the wir form of versuchen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) hatten versucht
- B) hatte versucht
- C) hattest versucht
- D) hattet versucht
What is the du form of versuchen in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) wirst versuchen
- B) werde versuchen
- C) wird versuchen
- D) werden versuchen
What is the ich form of versuchen in the Future perfect (Futur II)?
- A) wirst versucht haben
- B) wird versucht haben
- C) werden versucht haben
- D) werde versucht haben
What is the er/sie/es form of versuchen in the Konjunktiv I?
- A) versuchest
- B) versuchen
- C) versuchet
- D) versuche
What is the ich form of versuchen in the Konjunktiv II?
- A) versuchtest
- B) versuchten
- C) versuchtet
- D) versuchte
What is the present participle (Partizip I) of versuchen?
- A) meinend
- B) versuchend
- C) probierend
- D) glaubend
What does versuchen mean in English?
- A) to believe
- B) to mean
- C) to try
- D) to try, to taste
Answer key
- D) versuche — the ich form of versuchen in the Present (Präsens) is versuche. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) versuchtest — the du form of versuchen in the Preterite (Präteritum) is versuchtest. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) hat versucht — the er/sie/es form of versuchen in the Perfect (Perfekt) is hat versucht. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) hatten versucht — the wir form of versuchen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is hatten versucht. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) wirst versuchen — the du form of versuchen in the Future (Futur I) is wirst versuchen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) werde versucht haben — the ich form of versuchen in the Future perfect (Futur II) is werde versucht haben. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) versuche — the er/sie/es form of versuchen in the Konjunktiv I is versuche. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) versuchte — the ich form of versuchen in the Konjunktiv II is versuchte. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) versuchend — the present participle (Partizip I) of versuchen is versuchend. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- C) to try — versuchen means “to try” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does versuchen mean in English?
versuchen means “to try”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is versuchen regular or irregular?
versuchen is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. Partizip I is versuchend and Partizip II is versucht.
What are the participles of versuchen?
Partizip I is versuchend — use it as an adjective. Partizip II is versucht — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe versucht.
Which auxiliary does versuchen take in the Perfekt?
versuchen takes haben in the Perfekt: the ich form is habe versucht. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with haben plus the past participle versucht.
How do I say “I try” in German?
Say “Ich versuche das neue Rezept jeden Tag.” — “I try the new recipe every day.” The ich form of the present is versuche, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of versuchen — every tense of versuchen in one place.
- Versuchen in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Versuchen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Probieren conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Glauben conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Meinen 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 versuchen with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise versuchen with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise versuchen with the interactive tool.