Wohnen Conjugation in German
wohnen means “to live” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 249 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You will meet it in everyday sentences such as “Ich wohne in Berlin.” — “I live in Berlin.” — 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 wohnen — every tense, every person, the present participle and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: wohnen
- English: to live
- Verb type: Regular
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Present participle (Partizip I): wohnend
- Past participle (Partizip II): gewohnt
- 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 wohnen, 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 wohnen in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about wohnen
- It is regular: every form follows the ordinary weak pattern, so once you know the stem you can build the whole table. The only work is learning the endings, not memorising exceptions.
- The perfect tenses use haben: the Perfekt is formed with haben in the present plus the past participle gewohnt. 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 wohnend and gewohnt: 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 wohnen. 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 | wohne |
| du | wohnst |
| er/sie/es | wohnt |
| wir | wohnen |
| ihr | wohnt |
| sie/Sie | wohnen |
The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Ich wohne seit zehn Jahren hier.” — “I live here for ten years.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | wohnte |
| du | wohntest |
| er/sie/es | wohnte |
| wir | wohnten |
| ihr | wohntet |
| sie/Sie | wohnten |
The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. For example: “Du wohntest seit zehn Jahren hier.” — “You lived here for ten years.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe gewohnt |
| du | hast gewohnt |
| er/sie/es | hat gewohnt |
| wir | haben gewohnt |
| ihr | habt gewohnt |
| sie/Sie | haben gewohnt |
The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. For example: “Er hat seit zehn Jahren hier gewohnt.” — “He has lived here for ten years.”
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hatte gewohnt |
| du | hattest gewohnt |
| er/sie/es | hatte gewohnt |
| wir | hatten gewohnt |
| ihr | hattet gewohnt |
| sie/Sie | hatten gewohnt |
The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Ich hatte seit zehn Jahren hier gewohnt.” — “I had lived here for ten years.”
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde wohnen |
| du | wirst wohnen |
| er/sie/es | wird wohnen |
| wir | werden wohnen |
| ihr | werdet wohnen |
| sie/Sie | werden wohnen |
The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for intentions. For example: “Ich werde seit zehn Jahren hier wohnen.” — “I will live here for ten years.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde gewohnt haben |
| du | wirst gewohnt haben |
| er/sie/es | wird gewohnt haben |
| wir | werden gewohnt haben |
| ihr | werdet gewohnt haben |
| sie/Sie | werden gewohnt haben |
The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Du wirst seit zehn Jahren hier gewohnt haben.” — “You will have lived here for ten years.”
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | wohne |
| du | wohnest |
| er/sie/es | wohne |
| wir | wohnen |
| ihr | wohnet |
| sie/Sie | wohnen |
Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech — reporting what someone else said — and in formal written German. For example: “Er wohne seit zehn Jahren hier.” — “He lives here for ten years.”
Konjunktiv II (conditional)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | wohnte |
| du | wohntest |
| er/sie/es | wohnte |
| wir | wohnten |
| ihr | wohntet |
| sie/Sie | wohnten |
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. For example: “Ich wohnte seit zehn Jahren hier.” — “I would live here for ten years.”
Conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + participle)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hätte gewohnt |
| du | hättest gewohnt |
| er/sie/es | hätte gewohnt |
| wir | hätten gewohnt |
| ihr | hättet gewohnt |
| sie/Sie | hätten gewohnt |
The conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + past participle) is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er hätte seit zehn Jahren hier gewohnt.” — “He would have lived here for ten years.”
Imperative (Imperativ)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | wohn |
| wir | wohnen |
| ihr | wohnt |
| sie/Sie | wohnen |
The imperative (Imperativ) is used for direct commands, requests and instructions. For example: “Wohn seit zehn Jahren hier!” — “Live here for ten years!”
Present participle (Partizip I)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle (Partizip I) | wohnend |
The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective or adverb, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle wohnend 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) | gewohnt |
The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich habe in Berlin gewohnt.” — “I have lived in Berlin.”
Infinitive (Infinitiv)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | wohnen |
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 wohnen, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich wohne in Berlin.” — “I live in Berlin.”
- “Du wohntest seit zehn Jahren hier.” — “You lived here for ten years.”
- “Er hat mit meiner Familie in einem Haus gewohnt.” — “He has lived with my family in a house.”
- “Ich werde in Berlin wohnen.” — “I will live in Berlin.”
- “Du wohntest seit zehn Jahren hier.” — “You would live here for ten years.”
- “Ich hatte mit meiner Familie in einem Haus gewohnt.” — “I had lived with my family in a house.”
- “Du wirst seit zehn Jahren hier gewohnt haben.” — “You will have lived here for ten years.”
- “Er wohne mit meiner Familie in einem Haus.” — “He lives with my family in a house.”
- “Ich hätte in Berlin gewohnt.” — “I would have lived in Berlin.”
- “Wohn in Berlin!” — “Live in Berlin!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich wohnen in Berlin.”
✓ Right: “Ich wohne in Berlin.”
The infinitive wohnen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form wohne.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Ich wohnen in Berlin.”
✓ Right: “Ich wohne in Berlin.”
wohnen is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with wohne.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Ich wohne in Berlin gestern.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe in Berlin gewohnt.”
The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt habe gewohnt, not the present.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich bin in Berlin gewohnt.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe in Berlin gewohnt.”
The Perfekt of wohnen is formed with haben plus the past participle gewohnt: the ich form is habe gewohnt. 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 wohnte in Berlin gestern.” (in everyday speech)
✓ Right: “Ich habe in Berlin gewohnt.”
In everyday spoken German the Perfekt habe gewohnt is the usual past tense. The preterite wohnte is correct in writing and in stories, but it sounds formal in conversation.
6. Using the du form when talking to a group
✗ Wrong: “Wohn in Berlin!” (said to several people)
✓ Right: “Wohnt in Berlin!”
The du imperative wohn is for one person you know well. For a group, use the ihr form wohnt.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on wohnen. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the ich form of wohnen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) wohnst
- B) wohnt
- C) wohnen
- D) wohne
What is the er/sie/es form of wohnen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) wohntest
- B) wohnten
- C) wohntet
- D) wohnte
What is the er/sie/es form of wohnen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) habe gewohnt
- B) hast gewohnt
- C) haben gewohnt
- D) hat gewohnt
What is the du form of wohnen in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) wirst wohnen
- B) werde wohnen
- C) wird wohnen
- D) werden wohnen
What is the ich form of wohnen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional)?
- A) wohntest
- B) wohnten
- C) wohntet
- D) wohnte
What is the wir form of wohnen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) hatten gewohnt
- B) hatte gewohnt
- C) hattest gewohnt
- D) hattet gewohnt
What is the er/sie/es form of wohnen in the Konjunktiv I?
- A) wohnest
- B) wohnen
- C) wohnet
- D) wohne
What is the du form of wohnen in the Imperative (Imperativ)?
- A) wohn
- B) wohnen
- C) wohnt
- D) wohnst
What is the past participle of wohnen?
- A) gewohnt
- B) gegessen
- C) getrunken
- D) geschlafen
What does wohnen mean in English?
- A) to sleep
- B) to live
- C) to eat
- D) to drink
Answer key
- D) wohne — the ich form of wohnen in the Present (Präsens) is wohne. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) wohnte — the er/sie/es form of wohnen in the Preterite (Präteritum) is wohnte. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) hat gewohnt — the er/sie/es form of wohnen in the Perfect (Perfekt) is hat gewohnt. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) wirst wohnen — the du form of wohnen in the Future (Futur I) is wirst wohnen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) wohnte — the ich form of wohnen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional) is wohnte. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) hatten gewohnt — the wir form of wohnen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is hatten gewohnt. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) wohne — the er/sie/es form of wohnen in the Konjunktiv I is wohne. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) wohn — the du form of wohnen in the Imperative (Imperativ) is wohn. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) gewohnt — the past participle of wohnen is gewohnt; it is used with haben in the perfect tenses. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- B) to live — wohnen means “to live” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does wohnen mean in English?
wohnen means “to live”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is wohnen regular or irregular?
wohnen is regular: it follows the ordinary weak pattern in every tense. The present participle is wohnend and the past participle is gewohnt.
What are the participles of wohnen?
The present participle (Partizip I) is wohnend — use it as an adjective for an ongoing action. The past participle (Partizip II) is gewohnt — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe gewohnt.
Which auxiliary does wohnen take in the Perfekt?
wohnen takes haben in the Perfekt: the ich form is habe gewohnt. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with haben plus the past participle gewohnt.
Does German have a separate conditional tense?
No. Konjunktiv II doubles as the conditional: the ich form wohnte 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 gewohnt covers “would have” meanings.
How do I say “I live in Berlin” in German?
Say “Ich wohne in Berlin.” — “I live in Berlin.” The ich form of the present is wohne, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of wohnen — every tense of wohnen in one place.
- Wohnen in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Wohnen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Essen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Trinken conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Schlafen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- 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 wohnen with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise wohnen with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise wohnen with the interactive tool.