Wünschen in the Present Tense in German

Introduction

Wünschen means “to wish”, and this page covers exactly one thing: wünschen in the present tense. The present is the tense German speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for wünschen, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about wünschen in the present. For example: “Ich wünsche mir ein neues Fahrrad jeden Tag.” — “I wish myself a new bike every day.” Everything on this page uses the forms of wünschen exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Wünschen in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
ich wünsche
du wünschst
er/sie/es wünscht
wir wünschen
ihr wünscht
sie/Sie wünschen

Partizip I: wünschend · Partizip II: gewünscht

The present participle is wünschend, which you use as an adjective. The past participle is gewünscht, which you use with haben in the perfect tenses: the ich form of the Perfekt is habe gewünscht, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the Präsens is only one part of how wünschen is used.

How the Präsens of wünschen is formed

The present of wünschen follows the regular weak pattern: take the stem and add the present endings, giving ich wünsche, du wünschst, er/sie/es wünscht, wir wünschen, ihr wünscht, sie/Sie wünschen. The wir and ihr forms are the ones learners most often get wrong, because they expect a change that is not there — learn the six forms as two groups, the singular forms and the plural forms, and the pattern becomes automatic. The stem never changes in the present for this verb, so the only work is the endings.

The present stem also feeds other tenses: the preterite and Konjunktiv II are built from the same family of forms, so learning the present properly makes the rest of the conjugation easier. Partizip I wünschend and Partizip II gewünscht belong to the same family — learn them together with the present table and you will recognise wünschen in every tense.

When to use the Präsens of wünschen

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use wünschen in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Wishing myself a new bike — the everyday use

Wünschen is the verb for wishing myself a new bike. It covers the ordinary, everyday situations where this verb appears, at home and outside. Example: “Ich wünsche mir ein neues Fahrrad jeden Tag.” — “I wish myself a new bike every day.”

2. Wishing you lots of luck — a second everyday use

Wünschen also covers wishing you lots of luck. This use is very common in everyday speech, and it is the one learners meet next after the first. Example: “Du wünschst dir viel Glück jeden Tag.” — “You wish you lots of luck every day.”

3. Wishing my mother all the best — a third everyday use

In a third everyday situation, you use wünschen for wishing my mother all the best. The same verb, the same present forms, a different situation — that is why the present is worth learning as a whole table rather than one form at a time. Example: “Er wünscht meiner Mutter alles Gute jeden Tag.” — “He wishes my mother all the best every day.”

4. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and wünschen is no exception. Use time expressions such as jeden Tag, immer or jede Woche to make the routine explicit. Example: “Wir wünschen mir ein neues Fahrrad jeden Tag.” — “We wish myself a new bike every day.”

5. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. German often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with wünschen in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Ihr wünscht dir viel Glück jeden Tag.” — “You wish you lots of luck every day.”

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The closest tense to the Präsens is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the preterite describes a completed past action, mostly in writing and stories, while the present describes habits and facts that are true now. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the Präsens sentences use words such as jeden Tag or gestern, while the preterite sentences belong to a story told in the past. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present: “Ich wünsche mir ein neues Fahrrad jeden Tag.” — “I wish myself a new bike every day.”

  • Preterite (Präteritum): “Ich wünschte mir ein neues Fahrrad gestern.” — “I wished myself a new bike yesterday.”

  • The Präsens sentence is about the present moment or one finished action in speech; the preterite sentence is about the past as it is told in writing. That difference — now or finished in speech versus told in a story — is the whole decision.

  • Present: “Du wünschst dir viel Glück jeden Tag.” — “You wish you lots of luck every day.”

  • Preterite (Präteritum): “Du wünschtest dir viel Glück gestern.” — “You wished you lots of luck yesterday.”

  • The Präsens sentence is about the present moment or one finished action in speech; the preterite sentence is about the past as it is told in writing. That difference — now or finished in speech versus told in a story — is the whole decision.

  • Present: “Wir wünschen meiner Mutter alles Gute jeden Tag.” — “We wish my mother all the best every day.”

  • Preterite (Präteritum): “Wir wünschten meiner Mutter alles Gute gestern.” — “We wished my mother all the best yesterday.”

  • The Präsens sentence is about the present moment or one finished action in speech; the preterite sentence is about the past as it is told in writing. That difference — now or finished in speech versus told in a story — is the whole decision.

Example sentences: wünschen in the Präsens

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other words — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Ich wünsche dir viel Glück jeden Tag.” — “I wish you lots of luck every day.”

  2. “Du wünschst meiner Mutter alles Gute jeden Tag.” — “You wish my mother all the best every day.”

  3. “Er wünscht mir ein neues Fahrrad jeden Tag.” — “He wishes myself a new bike every day.”

  4. “Wir wünschen dir viel Glück jeden Tag.” — “We wish you lots of luck every day.”

  5. “Ihr wünscht meiner Mutter alles Gute jeden Tag.” — “You wish my mother all the best every day.”

  6. “Sie wünschen mir ein neues Fahrrad jeden Tag.” — “They wish myself a new bike every day.”

  7. “Ich wünsche dir viel Glück jeden Tag.” — “I wish you lots of luck every day.”

  8. “Du wünschst meiner Mutter alles Gute jeden Tag.” — “You wish my mother all the best every day.”

Common mistakes with wünschen in the Präsens

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Ich wünschen mir ein neues Fahrrad.” Right: “Ich wünsche mir ein neues Fahrrad.” Why: The ich form is wünsche, not wünschen. Wünschen belongs with sie. Mixing the two groups is the most common error with this verb.

  • Wrong: “Wir wünschen mir ein neues Fahrrad.” Right: “Wir wünschen mir ein neues Fahrrad.” Why: Wir keeps its own form: wünschen, not wünschen. Learn wir and ihr as a separate pair from the singular forms.

  • Wrong: “Ich wünschen mir ein neues Fahrrad.” (with the infinitive) Right: “Ich wünsche mir ein neues Fahrrad.” Why: The infinitive wünschen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form wünsche.

  • Wrong: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich wünsche mir ein neues Fahrrad.” Right: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich wünsche mir ein neues Fahrrad.” Why: After es ist wichtig, dass German needs Konjunktiv I, so use wünsche here, not the indicative wünsche.

Quiz: wünschen in the Präsens

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

1. Complete the sentence: “Ich ______ dir viel Glück.”

  • (A) wünsche
  • (B) wünschst
  • (C) wünscht
  • (D) wünschen

2. Complete the sentence: “Du ______ meiner Mutter alles Gute.”

  • (A) wünscht
  • (B) wünschen
  • (C) wünschst
  • (D) wünsche

3. Complete the sentence: “Er ______ mir ein neues Fahrrad.”

  • (A) wünschen
  • (B) wünscht
  • (C) wünsche
  • (D) wünschst

4. Complete the sentence: “Wir ______ dir viel Glück.”

  • (A) wünschst
  • (B) wünscht
  • (C) wünschen
  • (D) wünsche

5. Complete the sentence: “Ihr ______ meiner Mutter alles Gute.”

  • (A) wünschen
  • (B) wünscht
  • (C) wünsche
  • (D) wünschst

6. Complete the sentence: “Sie ______ mir ein neues Fahrrad.”

  • (A) wünschst
  • (B) wünscht
  • (C) wünschen
  • (D) wünsche

7. What does wünschen mean in English?

  • (A) to worry
  • (B) to please
  • (C) to wish
  • (D) to fear

8. What is the past participle (Partizip II) of wünschen?

  • (A) gefreut
  • (B) gewünscht
  • (C) gefürchtet
  • (D) gesorgt

Answer key

  1. A) wünsche — The ich form is wünsche.
  2. C) wünschst — The du form is wünschst.
  3. B) wünscht — The er/sie/es form is wünscht.
  4. C) wünschen — The wir form is wünschen.
  5. B) wünscht — The ihr form is wünscht.
  6. C) wünschen — The sie/Sie form is wünschen.
  7. C) to wish — wünschen means “to wish”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
  8. B) gewünscht — The past participle of wünschen is gewünscht; the Präsens is formed with haben + gewünscht.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present of wünschen formed?

The present of wünschen is regular: take the stem and add the present endings, giving ich wünsche, du wünschst, er wünscht, wir wünschen, ihr wünscht, sie wünschen.

When do I use the present of wünschen?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now — for example, “Ich wünsche mir ein neues Fahrrad jeden Tag.” — “I wish myself a new bike every day.” For a finished past action, use the Perfekt instead.

What is the difference between the present and the preterite of wünschen?

The present describes what is true now or happens regularly; the preterite describes a completed past action, mostly in writing. Compare “Ich wünsche mir ein neues Fahrrad jeden Tag.” with “Ich wünschte mir ein neues Fahrrad gestern.” — the first is now, the second is the past as it is told in a story.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for wünschen, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Related pages