Werden Conjugation in German
werden means “to become” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 3 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You will meet it in everyday sentences such as “Ich werde Lehrer.” — “I become a teacher.” — 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 werden — every tense, every person, the present participle and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: werden
- English: to become
- Verb type: Irregular
- Irregular in: present, preterite, perfect, pluperfect, future, future-perfect, konjunktiv-1, konjunktiv-2, conditional-perfect, imperative, past-participle
- Present participle (Partizip I): werdend
- Past participle (Partizip II): geworden
- Auxiliary: sein (all perfect tenses are formed with sein + 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 werden, 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 werden in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about werden
- It is irregular in 11 tense(s): present, preterite, perfect, pluperfect, future, future-perfect, konjunktiv-1, konjunktiv-2, conditional-perfect, imperative, past-participle. 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 sein: the Perfekt is formed with sein in the present plus the past participle geworden. 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 werdend and geworden: 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 werden. 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 | werde |
| du | wirst |
| er/sie/es | wird |
| wir | werden |
| ihr | werdet |
| sie/Sie | werden |
The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With werden 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 werde müde am Abend.” — “I become tired in the evening.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | wurde |
| du | wurdest |
| er/sie/es | wurde |
| wir | wurden |
| ihr | wurdet |
| sie/Sie | wurden |
The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. With werden 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 wurdest müde am Abend.” — “You became tired in the evening.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | bin geworden |
| du | bist geworden |
| er/sie/es | ist geworden |
| wir | sind geworden |
| ihr | seid geworden |
| sie/Sie | sind geworden |
The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. With werden 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: “Er ist müde am Abend geworden.” — “He has become tired in the evening.”
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | war geworden |
| du | warst geworden |
| er/sie/es | war geworden |
| wir | waren geworden |
| ihr | wart geworden |
| sie/Sie | waren geworden |
The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. With werden 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 war müde am Abend geworden.” — “I had become tired in the evening.”
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde werden |
| du | wirst werden |
| er/sie/es | wird werden |
| wir | werden werden |
| ihr | werdet werden |
| sie/Sie | werden werden |
The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for intentions. With werden 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 werde müde am Abend werden.” — “I will become tired in the evening.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde geworden sein |
| du | wirst geworden sein |
| er/sie/es | wird geworden sein |
| wir | werden geworden sein |
| ihr | werdet geworden sein |
| sie/Sie | werden geworden sein |
The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. With werden 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 wirst müde am Abend geworden sein.” — “You will have become tired in the evening.”
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde |
| du | werdest |
| er/sie/es | werde |
| wir | werden |
| ihr | werdet |
| sie/Sie | werden |
Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech — reporting what someone else said — and in formal written German. With werden 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: “Er werde müde am Abend.” — “He becomes tired in the evening.”
Konjunktiv II (conditional)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | würde |
| du | würdest |
| er/sie/es | würde |
| wir | würden |
| ihr | würdet |
| sie/Sie | würden |
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. With werden 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 würde müde am Abend.” — “I would become tired in the evening.”
Conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + participle)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | wäre geworden |
| du | wärst geworden |
| er/sie/es | wäre geworden |
| wir | wären geworden |
| ihr | wärt geworden |
| sie/Sie | wären geworden |
The conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + past participle) is used for what would have happened in a different past. With werden 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: “Er wäre müde am Abend geworden.” — “He would have become tired in the evening.”
Imperative (Imperativ)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | werde |
| wir | werden |
| ihr | werdet |
| sie/Sie | werden |
The imperative (Imperativ) is used for direct commands, requests and instructions. With werden 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: “Werde müde am Abend!” — “Become tired in the evening!”
Present participle (Partizip I)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle (Partizip I) | werdend |
The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective or adverb, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle werdend 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) | geworden |
The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich bin Lehrer geworden.” — “I have become a teacher.”
Infinitive (Infinitiv)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | werden |
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 werden, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich werde Lehrer.” — “I become a teacher.”
- “Du wurdest müde am Abend.” — “You became tired in the evening.”
- “Er ist bald fertig geworden.” — “He has become ready soon.”
- “Ich werde Lehrer werden.” — “I will become a teacher.”
- “Du würdest müde am Abend.” — “You would become tired in the evening.”
- “Ich war bald fertig geworden.” — “I had become ready soon.”
- “Du wirst müde am Abend geworden sein.” — “You will have become tired in the evening.”
- “Er werde bald fertig.” — “He becomes ready soon.”
- “Ich wäre Lehrer geworden.” — “I would have become a teacher.”
- “Werde Lehrer!” — “Become a teacher!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich werden Lehrer.”
✓ Right: “Ich werde Lehrer.”
The infinitive werden never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form werde.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Ich werden Lehrer.”
✓ Right: “Ich werde Lehrer.”
werden is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with werde.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Ich werde Lehrer gestern.”
✓ Right: “Ich bin Lehrer geworden.”
The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt bin geworden, not the present.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich habe Lehrer geworden.”
✓ Right: “Ich bin Lehrer geworden.”
The Perfekt of werden is formed with sein plus the past participle geworden: the ich form is bin geworden. 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 wurde Lehrer gestern.” (in everyday speech)
✓ Right: “Ich bin Lehrer geworden.”
In everyday spoken German the Perfekt bin geworden is the usual past tense. The preterite wurde is correct in writing and in stories, but it sounds formal in conversation.
6. Using the du form when talking to a group
✗ Wrong: “Werde Lehrer!” (said to several people)
✓ Right: “Werdet Lehrer!”
The du imperative werde is for one person you know well. For a group, use the ihr form werdet.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on werden. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the ich form of werden in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) werden
- B) werde
- C) wirst
- D) wird
What is the er/sie/es form of werden in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) wurdet
- B) wurde
- C) wurdest
- D) wurden
What is the er/sie/es form of werden in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) sind geworden
- B) ist geworden
- C) bin geworden
- D) bist geworden
What is the du form of werden in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) wird werden
- B) werden werden
- C) wirst werden
- D) werde werden
What is the ich form of werden in the Konjunktiv II (conditional)?
- A) würden
- B) würdet
- C) würde
- D) würdest
What is the wir form of werden in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) waren geworden
- B) war geworden
- C) warst geworden
- D) wart geworden
What is the er/sie/es form of werden in the Konjunktiv I?
- A) werdet
- B) werde
- C) werdest
- D) werden
What is the du form of werden in the Imperative (Imperativ)?
- A) wirst
- B) werde
- C) werden
- D) werdet
What is the past participle of werden?
- A) gesollt
- B) geworden
- C) gekonnt
- D) gemusst
What does werden mean in English?
- A) to have to
- B) should, to be supposed to
- C) to become
- D) to be able to
Answer key
- B) werde — the ich form of werden in the Present (Präsens) is werde. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) wurde — the er/sie/es form of werden in the Preterite (Präteritum) is wurde. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) ist geworden — the er/sie/es form of werden in the Perfect (Perfekt) is ist geworden. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) wirst werden — the du form of werden in the Future (Futur I) is wirst werden. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) würde — the ich form of werden in the Konjunktiv II (conditional) is würde. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) waren geworden — the wir form of werden in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is waren geworden. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) werde — the er/sie/es form of werden in the Konjunktiv I is werde. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) werde — the du form of werden in the Imperative (Imperativ) is werde. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) geworden — the past participle of werden is geworden; it is used with sein in the perfect tenses. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- C) to become — werden means “to become” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does werden mean in English?
werden means “to become”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is werden regular or irregular?
werden is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, perfect, pluperfect, future, future-perfect, konjunktiv-1, konjunktiv-2, conditional-perfect, imperative, past-participle. The present participle is werdend and the past participle is geworden.
What are the participles of werden?
The present participle (Partizip I) is werdend — use it as an adjective for an ongoing action. The past participle (Partizip II) is geworden — use it with sein for the perfect tenses, as in bin geworden.
Which auxiliary does werden take in the Perfekt?
werden takes sein in the Perfekt: the ich form is bin geworden. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with sein plus the past participle geworden.
Does German have a separate conditional tense?
No. Konjunktiv II doubles as the conditional: the ich form würde is the form you use for “would” meanings, and the periphrastic alternative with würde + infinitive is not a separate engine tense. The conditional perfect wäre geworden covers “would have” meanings.
How do I say “I become a teacher” in German?
Say “Ich werde Lehrer.” — “I become a teacher.” The ich form of the present is werde, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of werden — every tense of werden in one place.
- Werden in the Perfekt tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Werden examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Können conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Müssen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Sollen 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 werden with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise werden with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise werden with the interactive tool.