Ziehen Perfekt Tense Conjugation in German
The Perfekt of ziehen — “to pull” — is the tense you need for finished actions in the past: what you did yesterday, what happened last week, what has just finished. It is formed with haben in the present + the past participle gezogen, so once you know the participle you can build every person. This page gives you the complete Perfekt table for ziehen, how it is formed, when to use it, how it differs from the Präteritum, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Ich habe den Koffer zum Bahnhof gezogen.” — “I have pulled the suitcase to the station.”
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for ziehen, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Perfekt Tense conjugation of ziehen
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for ziehen. The Perfekt is a compound tense: haben in the present + the past participle gezogen. The participle never changes in the table below — the tables give the single uninflected participle form, and the auxiliary carries the person.
Perfect (Perfekt) — ziehen
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe gezogen |
| du | hast gezogen |
| er/sie/es | hat gezogen |
| wir | haben gezogen |
| ihr | habt gezogen |
| sie/Sie | haben gezogen |
The present participle of ziehen is ziehend and the past participle is gezogen. You need the participle for the perfect tenses, and the present participle for adjectival use.
How the Perfekt of ziehen is formed
Take the present tense of the auxiliary haben and add the past participle gezogen: ich → habe gezogen, du → hast gezogen, er/sie/es → hat gezogen, wir → haben gezogen, ihr → habt gezogen, sie/Sie → haben gezogen. So ziehen gives habe gezogen, hast gezogen, hat gezogen, haben gezogen, habt gezogen, haben gezogen. ziehen takes haben, the default auxiliary. The past participle stays invariable in the Perfekt: it does not agree with the subject, so gezogen is the same for every person. A note on the participle: gezogen is the only past participle for ziehen in the verified tables. Do not invent a second participle, and do not borrow the participle of a similar verb.
When to use the Perfekt of ziehen
1. A finished event in the past
Use the Perfekt for a finished event in the past. For example, with ziehen: “Ich habe den Koffer zum Bahnhof gezogen.” — “I have pulled the suitcase to the station.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
2. Something that has just happened
Use the Perfekt for something that has just happened. For example, with ziehen: “Du hast den Koffer zum Bahnhof gezogen.” — “You have pulled the suitcase to the station.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
3. A sequence of past events
Use the Perfekt for a sequence of past events. For example, with ziehen: “Er hat den Koffer zum Bahnhof gezogen.” — “He has pulled the suitcase to the station.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
4. Life experience up to now
Use the Perfekt for life experience up to now. For example, with ziehen: “Wir haben den Koffer zum Bahnhof gezogen.” — “We have pulled the suitcase to the station.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
5. A past event with a definite time
Use the Perfekt for a past event with a definite time. For example, with ziehen: “Ihr habt den Koffer zum Bahnhof gezogen.” — “You have pulled the suitcase to the station.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Perfekt vs Präteritum: ziehen in speech and in writing
The Perfekt and the Präteritum both talk about the past, but they are not interchangeable in register. The Perfekt is the tense of spoken German: what you say in conversation. The Präteritum is the tense of written narration: stories, reports and formal writing. Compare the pairs below — the Perfekt form comes from this page, the Präteritum form from the full conjugation table.
Perfekt (spoken): “Ich habe den Koffer zum Bahnhof gezogen.” — “I have pulled the suitcase to the station.”
Präteritum (written): “Ich zog den Koffer zum Bahnhof.” — “I pulled the suitcase to the station.”
Perfekt (spoken): “Du hast den Koffer zum Bahnhof gezogen.” — “You have pulled the suitcase to the station.”
Präteritum (written): “Du zogst den Koffer zum Bahnhof.” — “You pulled the suitcase to the station.”
Perfekt (spoken): “Wir haben den Koffer zum Bahnhof gezogen.” — “We have pulled the suitcase to the station.”
Präteritum (written): “Wir zogen den Koffer zum Bahnhof.” — “We pulled the suitcase to the station.”
Example sentences: ziehen in the Perfekt
Six sentences using only the Perfekt of ziehen, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “Ich habe den Koffer zum Bahnhof gezogen.” — “I have pulled the suitcase to the station.”
- “Du hast den Koffer zum Bahnhof gezogen.” — “You have pulled the suitcase to the station.”
- “Er hat den Koffer zum Bahnhof gezogen.” — “He has pulled the suitcase to the station.”
- “Wir haben den Koffer zum Bahnhof gezogen.” — “We have pulled the suitcase to the station.”
- “Ihr habt den Koffer zum Bahnhof gezogen.” — “You have pulled the suitcase to the station.”
- “Sie haben den Koffer zum Bahnhof gezogen.” — “They have pulled the suitcase to the station.”
Common mistakes with ziehen in the Perfekt
1. Using the wrong auxiliary
✗ Wrong: “Ich bin den Koffer zum Bahnhof gezogen.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe den Koffer zum Bahnhof gezogen.”
With ziehen the Perfekt takes haben, not sein. The correct form is habe gezogen.
2. Using the present for a finished past event
✗ Wrong: “Ich ziehe den Koffer zum Bahnhof.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe den Koffer zum Bahnhof gezogen.”
Yesterday’s finished event needs the Perfekt (habe gezogen), not the present.
3. Using the Präteritum for a single finished event in speech
✗ Wrong: “Ich zog den Koffer zum Bahnhof.” (in conversation)
✓ Right: “Ich habe den Koffer zum Bahnhof gezogen.”
In spoken German a single finished event yesterday takes the Perfekt. The Präteritum belongs in written narration.
4. Guessing a regular participle
✗ Wrong: “Ich habe den Koffer zum Bahnhof gezieht.” (a guessed regular participle)
✓ Right: “Ich habe den Koffer zum Bahnhof gezogen.”
ziehen is a strong verb: its participle is gezogen, not the regular ge- + stem + -t form.
Quiz: ziehen in the Perfekt
What is the ich form of ziehen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) hat gezogen
- B) habt gezogen
- C) hast gezogen
- D) habe gezogen
What is the du form of ziehen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) habt gezogen
- B) habe gezogen
- C) haben gezogen
- D) hast gezogen
What is the er/sie/es form of ziehen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) hat gezogen
- B) habe gezogen
- C) hast gezogen
- D) haben gezogen
What is the wir form of ziehen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) hat gezogen
- B) habe gezogen
- C) haben gezogen
- D) hast gezogen
What is the ihr form of ziehen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) hast gezogen
- B) habe gezogen
- C) habt gezogen
- D) hat gezogen
What is the sie/Sie form of ziehen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) hast gezogen
- B) habe gezogen
- C) hat gezogen
- D) haben gezogen
What is the past participle of ziehen?
- A) zog
- B) ziehend
- C) ziehe
- D) gezogen
Which auxiliary does ziehen take in the Perfekt?
- A) sein
- B) werden
- C) haben
Answer key
- D) habe gezogen — the ich form of ziehen in the Perfekt is habe gezogen.
- D) hast gezogen — the du form of ziehen in the Perfekt is hast gezogen.
- A) hat gezogen — the er/sie/es form of ziehen in the Perfekt is hat gezogen.
- C) haben gezogen — the wir form of ziehen in the Perfekt is haben gezogen.
- C) habt gezogen — the ihr form of ziehen in the Perfekt is habt gezogen.
- D) haben gezogen — the sie/Sie form of ziehen in the Perfekt is haben gezogen.
- D) gezogen — the past participle of ziehen is gezogen; the Perfekt uses haben + gezogen.
- C) haben — ziehen takes haben in the Perfekt: habe gezogen.
Frequently asked questions
How is the Perfekt of ziehen formed?
With haben in the present + the past participle gezogen: ich → habe gezogen, du → hast gezogen, er/sie/es → hat gezogen. The full table is above, and the German Perfekt tense guide explains the pattern for all verbs.
Is ziehen regular in the Perfekt?
Yes — ziehen is regular in the Perfekt: the forms follow the standard pattern. The full picture, including the irregular tenses if any, is on the full conjugation page.
What is the past participle of ziehen?
The past participle is gezogen. Use it with haben for the Perfekt, as in habe gezogen, and with haben in the past for the Plusquamperfekt, as in hatte gezogen.
Related pages
- ziehen conjugation — the full conjugation tables for this verb in every tense.
- ziehen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- German verbs — the full hub of German conjugation pages.
- German irregular verbs — every common irregular German verb, grouped by pattern.
- Einladen conjugation — another German verb to practise with.
- Treffen conjugation — another German verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise ziehen with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise ziehen with the interactive tool.
- Perfect Tenses Builder — practise the perfect tenses with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.