Waschen Conjugation in German
waschen means “to wash” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 77 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You use it whenever you talk about washing my hands, 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 waschen — 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 wasche meine Hände jeden Tag.” — “I wash my hands every day.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: waschen
- English: to wash
- Verb type: Irregular
- Irregular in: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative
- Pattern: strong
- Separable: no
- Participle I: waschend
- Past participle (Partizip II): gewaschen
- 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 waschen, 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 waschen in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about waschen
- 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 gewaschen. 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 waschend and Partizip II is gewaschen: 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 waschen. 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 | wasche |
| du | wäschst |
| er/sie/es | wäscht |
| wir | waschen |
| ihr | wascht |
| sie/Sie | waschen |
The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With waschen 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 wasche das Auto jeden Tag.” — “I wash the car every day.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | wusch |
| du | wuschst |
| er/sie/es | wusch |
| wir | wuschen |
| ihr | wuscht |
| sie/Sie | wuschen |
The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. With waschen 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 wuschst das Auto gestern.” — “You washed the car yesterday.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe gewaschen |
| du | hast gewaschen |
| er/sie/es | hat gewaschen |
| wir | haben gewaschen |
| ihr | habt gewaschen |
| sie/Sie | haben gewaschen |
The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. For example: “Er hat das Auto gewaschen gestern.” — “He has washed the car yesterday.”
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hatte gewaschen |
| du | hattest gewaschen |
| er/sie/es | hatte gewaschen |
| wir | hatten gewaschen |
| ihr | hattet gewaschen |
| sie/Sie | hatten gewaschen |
The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Wir hatten das Auto gewaschen vor der Party.” — “We had washed the car before the party.”
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde waschen |
| du | wirst waschen |
| er/sie/es | wird waschen |
| wir | werden waschen |
| ihr | werdet waschen |
| sie/Sie | werden waschen |
The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Ich werde das Auto waschen morgen.” — “I will wash the car tomorrow.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde gewaschen haben |
| du | wirst gewaschen haben |
| er/sie/es | wird gewaschen haben |
| wir | werden gewaschen haben |
| ihr | werdet gewaschen haben |
| sie/Sie | werden gewaschen haben |
The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Du wirst das Auto gewaschen haben bis morgen.” — “You will have washed the car by tomorrow.”
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | wasche |
| du | waschest |
| er/sie/es | wasche |
| wir | waschen |
| ihr | waschet |
| sie/Sie | waschen |
Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech and indirect quotation. For example: “Es ist wichtig, dass er wasche das Auto.” — “It is important that he wash the car.”
Konjunktiv II
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | wüsche |
| du | wüschest |
| er/sie/es | wüsche |
| wir | wüschen |
| ihr | wüschet |
| sie/Sie | wüschen |
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 wüsche das Auto eines Tages.” — “I would wash the car one day.”
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hätte gewaschen |
| du | hättest gewaschen |
| er/sie/es | hätte gewaschen |
| wir | hätten gewaschen |
| ihr | hättet gewaschen |
| sie/Sie | hätten gewaschen |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er hätte das Auto gewaschen gestern.” — “He would have washed the car yesterday.”
Imperative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | wasch |
| wir | waschen |
| ihr | wascht |
| sie | waschen |
The imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. With waschen 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: “Wasch das Auto!” — “Wash the car!”
Present participle (Partizip I)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle | waschend |
The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective and for describing an action in progress. For example, the participle waschend describes something that is washing. The present-tense sentence “Ich wasche meine Hände jeden Tag.” — “I wash my hands every day.” shows the same verb in action.
Past participle (Partizip II)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Past participle | gewaschen |
The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich habe meine Hände gewaschen gestern.” — “I have washed my hands yesterday.”
Infinitive
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | waschen |
The infinitive is the dictionary form of the verb, used after modal verbs and in infinitive constructions. The infinitive waschen 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 meine Hände waschen morgen.” — “I will wash my hands tomorrow.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with waschen, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich wasche meine Hände jeden Tag.” — “I wash my hands every day.”
- “Du wuschst das Auto gestern.” — “You washed the car yesterday.”
- “Er hat die Wäsche gewaschen gestern.” — “He has washed the laundry yesterday.”
- “Wir hatten meine Hände gewaschen vor der Party.” — “We had washed my hands before the party.”
- “Ich werde das Auto waschen morgen.” — “I will wash the car tomorrow.”
- “Du wirst die Wäsche gewaschen haben bis morgen.” — “You will have washed the laundry by tomorrow.”
- “Es ist wichtig, dass er wasche meine Hände.” — “It is important that he wash my hands.”
- “Ich wüsche das Auto eines Tages.” — “I would wash the car one day.”
- “Er hätte die Wäsche gewaschen gestern.” — “He would have washed the laundry yesterday.”
- “Wasch meine Hände!” — “Wash my hands!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich waschen meine Hände.”
✓ Right: “Ich wasche meine Hände.”
The infinitive waschen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form wasche.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Ich waschen meine Hände.”
✓ Right: “Ich wasche meine Hände.”
waschen is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with wasche.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Ich wasche meine Hände gestern.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe meine Hände gewaschen gestern.”
The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt habe gewaschen, not the present.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich wasche meine Hände.”
✓ Right: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich wasche meine Hände.”
After es ist wichtig, dass German needs Konjunktiv I, so use wasche here, not the indicative wasche.
5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich bin gewaschen meine Hände.”
✓ Right: “habe gewaschen meine Hände.”
The Perfekt of waschen is formed with haben plus the past participle gewaschen: the ich form is habe gewaschen. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
6. Using the preterite for a daily habit
✗ Wrong: “Ich wusch meine Hände jeden Tag.”
✓ Right: “Ich wasche meine Hände jeden Tag.”
The preterite wusch describes a past action. For something you do every day, use the present wasche.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on waschen. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the ich form of waschen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) waschen
- B) wasche
- C) wäschst
- D) wäscht
What is the du form of waschen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) wusch
- B) wuschen
- C) wuscht
- D) wuschst
What is the er/sie/es form of waschen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) hast gewaschen
- B) haben gewaschen
- C) hat gewaschen
- D) habe gewaschen
What is the wir form of waschen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) hatte gewaschen
- B) hattest gewaschen
- C) hattet gewaschen
- D) hatten gewaschen
What is the du form of waschen in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) wird waschen
- B) werden waschen
- C) wirst waschen
- D) werde waschen
What is the ich form of waschen in the Future perfect (Futur II)?
- A) wird gewaschen haben
- B) werden gewaschen haben
- C) werde gewaschen haben
- D) wirst gewaschen haben
What is the er/sie/es form of waschen in the Konjunktiv I?
- A) waschet
- B) wasche
- C) waschest
- D) waschen
What is the ich form of waschen in the Konjunktiv II?
- A) wüschen
- B) wüschet
- C) wüsche
- D) wüschest
What is the present participle (Partizip I) of waschen?
- A) duschend
- B) badend
- C) anziehend
- D) waschend
What does waschen mean in English?
- A) to bathe
- B) to put on
- C) to wash
- D) to shower
Answer key
- B) wasche — the ich form of waschen in the Present (Präsens) is wasche. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) wuschst — the du form of waschen in the Preterite (Präteritum) is wuschst. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) hat gewaschen — the er/sie/es form of waschen in the Perfect (Perfekt) is hat gewaschen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) hatten gewaschen — the wir form of waschen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is hatten gewaschen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) wirst waschen — the du form of waschen in the Future (Futur I) is wirst waschen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) werde gewaschen haben — the ich form of waschen in the Future perfect (Futur II) is werde gewaschen haben. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) wasche — the er/sie/es form of waschen in the Konjunktiv I is wasche. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) wüsche — the ich form of waschen in the Konjunktiv II is wüsche. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) waschend — the present participle (Partizip I) of waschen is waschend. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- C) to wash — waschen means “to wash” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does waschen mean in English?
waschen means “to wash”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is waschen regular or irregular?
waschen is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. Partizip I is waschend and Partizip II is gewaschen.
What are the participles of waschen?
Partizip I is waschend — use it as an adjective. Partizip II is gewaschen — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe gewaschen.
Which auxiliary does waschen take in the Perfekt?
waschen takes haben in the Perfekt: the ich form is habe gewaschen. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with haben plus the past participle gewaschen.
How do I say “I wash” in German?
Say “Ich wasche meine Hände jeden Tag.” — “I wash my hands every day.” The ich form of the present is wasche, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of waschen — every tense of waschen in one place.
- Waschen in the Perfekt tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Waschen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Duschen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Baden conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Anziehen 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 waschen with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise waschen with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise waschen with the interactive tool.