Wachsen Perfekt Tense Conjugation in German
The Perfekt of wachsen — “to grow” — is the tense you need for finished actions in the past: what you did yesterday, what happened last week, what has just finished. It is formed with sein in the present + the past participle gewachsen, so once you know the participle you can build every person. This page gives you the complete Perfekt table for wachsen, how it is formed, when to use it, how it differs from the Präteritum, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Ich bin schnell im Frühling gewachsen.” — “I have grown fast in spring.”
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for wachsen, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Perfekt Tense conjugation of wachsen
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for wachsen. The Perfekt is a compound tense: sein in the present + the past participle gewachsen. The participle never changes in the table below — the tables give the single uninflected participle form, and the auxiliary carries the person.
Perfect (Perfekt) — wachsen
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | bin gewachsen |
| du | bist gewachsen |
| er/sie/es | ist gewachsen |
| wir | sind gewachsen |
| ihr | seid gewachsen |
| sie/Sie | sind gewachsen |
The present participle of wachsen is wachsend and the past participle is gewachsen. You need the participle for the perfect tenses, and the present participle for adjectival use.
How the Perfekt of wachsen is formed
Take the present tense of the auxiliary sein and add the past participle gewachsen: ich → bin gewachsen, du → bist gewachsen, er/sie/es → ist gewachsen, wir → sind gewachsen, ihr → seid gewachsen, sie/Sie → sind gewachsen. So wachsen gives bin gewachsen, bist gewachsen, ist gewachsen, sind gewachsen, seid gewachsen, sind gewachsen. wachsen takes sein because it describes motion or a change of state. That is the whole rule you need here: verbs of motion and change of state take sein in the Perfekt, most other verbs take haben. A note on the participle: gewachsen is the only past participle for wachsen in the verified tables. Do not invent a second participle, and do not borrow the participle of a similar verb.
When to use the Perfekt of wachsen
1. A finished event in the past
Use the Perfekt for a finished event in the past. For example, with wachsen: “Ich bin schnell im Frühling gewachsen.” — “I have grown fast in spring.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
2. Something that has just happened
Use the Perfekt for something that has just happened. For example, with wachsen: “Du bist schnell im Frühling gewachsen.” — “You have grown fast in spring.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
3. A sequence of past events
Use the Perfekt for a sequence of past events. For example, with wachsen: “Er ist schnell im Frühling gewachsen.” — “It has grown fast in spring.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
4. Life experience up to now
Use the Perfekt for life experience up to now. For example, with wachsen: “Wir sind schnell im Frühling gewachsen.” — “We have grown fast in spring.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
5. A past event with a definite time
Use the Perfekt for a past event with a definite time. For example, with wachsen: “Ihr seid schnell im Frühling gewachsen.” — “You have grown fast in spring.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Perfekt vs Präteritum: wachsen in speech and in writing
The Perfekt and the Präteritum both talk about the past, but they are not interchangeable in register. The Perfekt is the tense of spoken German: what you say in conversation. The Präteritum is the tense of written narration: stories, reports and formal writing. Compare the pairs below — the Perfekt form comes from this page, the Präteritum form from the full conjugation table.
Perfekt (spoken): “Ich bin schnell im Frühling gewachsen.” — “I have grown fast in spring.”
Präteritum (written): “Ich wuchs schnell im Frühling.” — “I grew fast in spring.”
Perfekt (spoken): “Du bist schnell im Frühling gewachsen.” — “You have grown fast in spring.”
Präteritum (written): “Du wuchsest schnell im Frühling.” — “You grew fast in spring.”
Perfekt (spoken): “Wir sind schnell im Frühling gewachsen.” — “We have grown fast in spring.”
Präteritum (written): “Wir wuchsen schnell im Frühling.” — “We grew fast in spring.”
Example sentences: wachsen in the Perfekt
Six sentences using only the Perfekt of wachsen, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “Ich bin schnell im Frühling gewachsen.” — “I have grown fast in spring.”
- “Du bist schnell im Frühling gewachsen.” — “You have grown fast in spring.”
- “Er ist schnell im Frühling gewachsen.” — “It has grown fast in spring.”
- “Wir sind schnell im Frühling gewachsen.” — “We have grown fast in spring.”
- “Ihr seid schnell im Frühling gewachsen.” — “You have grown fast in spring.”
- “Sie sind schnell im Frühling gewachsen.” — “They have grown fast in spring.”
Common mistakes with wachsen in the Perfekt
1. Using the wrong auxiliary
✗ Wrong: “Ich habe schnell im Frühling gewachsen.”
✓ Right: “Ich bin schnell im Frühling gewachsen.”
With wachsen the Perfekt takes sein, not haben. The correct form is bin gewachsen.
2. Using the present for a finished past event
✗ Wrong: “Ich wachse schnell im Frühling.”
✓ Right: “Ich bin schnell im Frühling gewachsen.”
Yesterday’s finished event needs the Perfekt (bin gewachsen), not the present.
3. Using the Präteritum for a single finished event in speech
✗ Wrong: “Ich wuchs schnell im Frühling.” (in conversation)
✓ Right: “Ich bin schnell im Frühling gewachsen.”
In spoken German a single finished event yesterday takes the Perfekt. The Präteritum belongs in written narration.
4. Guessing a regular participle
✗ Wrong: “Ich habe schnell im Frühling gewachst.” (a guessed regular participle)
✓ Right: “Ich bin schnell im Frühling gewachsen.”
wachsen is a strong verb: its participle is gewachsen, not the regular ge- + stem + -t form.
Quiz: wachsen in the Perfekt
What is the ich form of wachsen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) bist gewachsen
- B) bin gewachsen
- C) seid gewachsen
- D) sind gewachsen
What is the du form of wachsen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) sind gewachsen
- B) ist gewachsen
- C) seid gewachsen
- D) bist gewachsen
What is the er/sie/es form of wachsen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) bist gewachsen
- B) ist gewachsen
- C) sind gewachsen
- D) seid gewachsen
What is the wir form of wachsen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) sind gewachsen
- B) ist gewachsen
- C) seid gewachsen
- D) bin gewachsen
What is the ihr form of wachsen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) seid gewachsen
- B) sind gewachsen
- C) ist gewachsen
- D) bist gewachsen
What is the sie/Sie form of wachsen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) ist gewachsen
- B) sind gewachsen
- C) seid gewachsen
- D) bin gewachsen
What is the past participle of wachsen?
- A) wachsend
- B) gewachsen
- C) wuchs
- D) wachse
Which auxiliary does wachsen take in the Perfekt?
- A) werden
- B) sein
- C) haben
Answer key
- B) bin gewachsen — the ich form of wachsen in the Perfekt is bin gewachsen.
- D) bist gewachsen — the du form of wachsen in the Perfekt is bist gewachsen.
- B) ist gewachsen — the er/sie/es form of wachsen in the Perfekt is ist gewachsen.
- A) sind gewachsen — the wir form of wachsen in the Perfekt is sind gewachsen.
- A) seid gewachsen — the ihr form of wachsen in the Perfekt is seid gewachsen.
- B) sind gewachsen — the sie/Sie form of wachsen in the Perfekt is sind gewachsen.
- B) gewachsen — the past participle of wachsen is gewachsen; the Perfekt uses sein + gewachsen.
- B) sein — wachsen takes sein in the Perfekt: bin gewachsen.
Frequently asked questions
How is the Perfekt of wachsen formed?
With sein in the present + the past participle gewachsen: ich → bin gewachsen, du → bist gewachsen, er/sie/es → ist gewachsen. The full table is above, and the German Perfekt tense guide explains the pattern for all verbs.
Is wachsen regular in the Perfekt?
Yes — wachsen is regular in the Perfekt: 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 wachsen?
The past participle is gewachsen. Use it with sein for the Perfekt, as in bin gewachsen, and with sein in the past for the Plusquamperfekt, as in war gewachsen.
Related pages
- wachsen conjugation — the full conjugation tables for this verb in every tense.
- wachsen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- German verbs — the full hub of German conjugation pages.
- German irregular verbs — every common irregular German verb, grouped by pattern.
- 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 wachsen with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise wachsen with the interactive tool.
- Perfect Tenses Builder — practise the perfect tenses with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.