Wissen Conjugation in German
wissen means “to know” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 10 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You will meet it in everyday sentences such as “Ich weiß die Antwort.” — “I know the answer.” — 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 wissen — every tense, every person, the present participle and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: wissen
- English: to know
- 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): wissend
- Past participle (Partizip II): gewusst
- 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 wissen, 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 wissen in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about wissen
- 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 haben: the Perfekt is formed with haben in the present plus the past participle gewusst. 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 wissend and gewusst: 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 wissen. 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 | weiß |
| du | weißt |
| er/sie/es | weiß |
| wir | wissen |
| ihr | wisst |
| sie/Sie | wissen |
The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With wissen 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 weiß sehr gut Deutsch.” — “I know German very well.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | wusste |
| du | wusstest |
| er/sie/es | wusste |
| wir | wussten |
| ihr | wusstet |
| sie/Sie | wussten |
The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. With wissen 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 wusstest sehr gut Deutsch.” — “You knew German very well.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe gewusst |
| du | hast gewusst |
| er/sie/es | hat gewusst |
| wir | haben gewusst |
| ihr | habt gewusst |
| sie/Sie | haben gewusst |
The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. With wissen 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 hat sehr gut Deutsch gewusst.” — “He has known German very well.”
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hatte gewusst |
| du | hattest gewusst |
| er/sie/es | hatte gewusst |
| wir | hatten gewusst |
| ihr | hattet gewusst |
| sie/Sie | hatten gewusst |
The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. With wissen 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 hatte sehr gut Deutsch gewusst.” — “I had known German very well.”
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde wissen |
| du | wirst wissen |
| er/sie/es | wird wissen |
| wir | werden wissen |
| ihr | werdet wissen |
| sie/Sie | werden wissen |
The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for intentions. With wissen 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 sehr gut Deutsch wissen.” — “I will know German very well.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde gewusst haben |
| du | wirst gewusst haben |
| er/sie/es | wird gewusst haben |
| wir | werden gewusst haben |
| ihr | werdet gewusst haben |
| sie/Sie | werden gewusst haben |
The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. With wissen 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 sehr gut Deutsch gewusst haben.” — “You will have known German very well.”
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | wisse |
| du | wissest |
| er/sie/es | wisse |
| wir | wissen |
| ihr | wisset |
| sie/Sie | wissen |
Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech — reporting what someone else said — and in formal written German. With wissen 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 wisse sehr gut Deutsch.” — “He knows German very well.”
Konjunktiv II (conditional)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | wüsste |
| du | wüsstest |
| er/sie/es | wüsste |
| wir | wüssten |
| ihr | wüsstet |
| sie/Sie | wüssten |
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 wissen 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 wüsste sehr gut Deutsch.” — “I would know German very well.”
Conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + participle)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hätte gewusst |
| du | hättest gewusst |
| er/sie/es | hätte gewusst |
| wir | hätten gewusst |
| ihr | hättet gewusst |
| sie/Sie | hätten gewusst |
The conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + past participle) is used for what would have happened in a different past. With wissen 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 hätte sehr gut Deutsch gewusst.” — “He would have known German very well.”
Imperative (Imperativ)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | wisse |
| wir | wissen |
| ihr | wisst |
| sie/Sie | wissen |
The imperative (Imperativ) is used for direct commands, requests and instructions. With wissen 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: “Wisse sehr gut Deutsch!” — “Know German very well!”
Present participle (Partizip I)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle (Partizip I) | wissend |
The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective or adverb, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle wissend 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) | gewusst |
The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich habe die Antwort gewusst.” — “I have known the answer.”
Infinitive (Infinitiv)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | wissen |
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 wissen, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich weiß die Antwort.” — “I know the answer.”
- “Du wusstest sehr gut Deutsch.” — “You knew German very well.”
- “Er hat viel über Berlin gewusst.” — “He has known a lot about Berlin.”
- “Ich werde die Antwort wissen.” — “I will know the answer.”
- “Du wüsstest sehr gut Deutsch.” — “You would know German very well.”
- “Ich hatte viel über Berlin gewusst.” — “I had known a lot about Berlin.”
- “Du wirst sehr gut Deutsch gewusst haben.” — “You will have known German very well.”
- “Er wisse viel über Berlin.” — “He knows a lot about Berlin.”
- “Ich hätte die Antwort gewusst.” — “I would have known the answer.”
- “Wisse die Antwort!” — “Know the answer!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich wissen die Antwort.”
✓ Right: “Ich weiß die Antwort.”
The infinitive wissen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form weiß.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Ich wissen die Antwort.”
✓ Right: “Ich weiß die Antwort.”
wissen is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with weiß.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Ich weiß die Antwort gestern.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe die Antwort gewusst.”
The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt habe gewusst, not the present.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich bin die Antwort gewusst.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe die Antwort gewusst.”
The Perfekt of wissen is formed with haben plus the past participle gewusst: the ich form is habe gewusst. 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 wusste die Antwort gestern.” (in everyday speech)
✓ Right: “Ich habe die Antwort gewusst.”
In everyday spoken German the Perfekt habe gewusst is the usual past tense. The preterite wusste is correct in writing and in stories, but it sounds formal in conversation.
6. Using the du form when talking to a group
✗ Wrong: “Wisse die Antwort!” (said to several people)
✓ Right: “Wisst die Antwort!”
The du imperative wisse is for one person you know well. For a group, use the ihr form wisst.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on wissen. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the ich form of wissen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) weiß
- B) weißt
- C) wissen
- D) wisst
What is the er/sie/es form of wissen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) wusstet
- B) wusste
- C) wusstest
- D) wussten
What is the er/sie/es form of wissen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) haben gewusst
- B) hat gewusst
- C) habe gewusst
- D) hast gewusst
What is the du form of wissen in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) wird wissen
- B) werden wissen
- C) wirst wissen
- D) werde wissen
What is the ich form of wissen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional)?
- A) wüssten
- B) wüsstet
- C) wüsste
- D) wüsstest
What is the wir form of wissen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) hattest gewusst
- B) hattet gewusst
- C) hatten gewusst
- D) hatte gewusst
What is the er/sie/es form of wissen in the Konjunktiv I?
- A) wisset
- B) wisse
- C) wissest
- D) wissen
What is the du form of wissen in the Imperative (Imperativ)?
- A) weißt
- B) wisse
- C) wissen
- D) wisst
What is the past participle of wissen?
- A) gekommen
- B) gesagt
- C) gewusst
- D) gegangen
What does wissen mean in English?
- A) to come
- B) to say
- C) to know
- D) to go
Answer key
- A) weiß — the ich form of wissen in the Present (Präsens) is weiß. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) wusste — the er/sie/es form of wissen in the Preterite (Präteritum) is wusste. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) hat gewusst — the er/sie/es form of wissen in the Perfect (Perfekt) is hat gewusst. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) wirst wissen — the du form of wissen in the Future (Futur I) is wirst wissen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) wüsste — the ich form of wissen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional) is wüsste. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) hatten gewusst — the wir form of wissen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is hatten gewusst. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) wisse — the er/sie/es form of wissen in the Konjunktiv I is wisse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) wisse — the du form of wissen in the Imperative (Imperativ) is wisse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) gewusst — the past participle of wissen is gewusst; it is used with haben in the perfect tenses. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- C) to know — wissen means “to know” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does wissen mean in English?
wissen means “to know”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is wissen regular or irregular?
wissen 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 wissend and the past participle is gewusst.
What are the participles of wissen?
The present participle (Partizip I) is wissend — use it as an adjective for an ongoing action. The past participle (Partizip II) is gewusst — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe gewusst.
Which auxiliary does wissen take in the Perfekt?
wissen takes haben in the Perfekt: the ich form is habe gewusst. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with haben plus the past participle gewusst.
Does German have a separate conditional tense?
No. Konjunktiv II doubles as the conditional: the ich form wüsste 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 gewusst covers “would have” meanings.
How do I say “I know the answer” in German?
Say “Ich weiß die Antwort.” — “I know the answer.” The ich form of the present is weiß, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of wissen — every tense of wissen in one place.
- Wissen in the Perfekt tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Wissen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Gehen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Kommen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Sagen 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 wissen with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise wissen with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise wissen with the interactive tool.