{"id":93757,"date":"2023-05-04T22:35:14","date_gmt":"2023-05-05T02:35:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/sein-german\/"},"modified":"2025-05-27T11:07:55","modified_gmt":"2025-05-27T15:07:55","slug":"sein-german","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/german\/sein-german\/","title":{"rendered":"The German Verb “Sein” and All Its Conjugations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sein oder Nichtsein, das ist hier die Frage.<\/em> (To be or not to be, that is the question.)<\/p>\n

Sein,<\/em> which means “to be,” is easily one of the most versatile verbs in the German language. Mastering the basics of this one verb opens up so many aspects of daily conversation.<\/p>\n

While\u00a0sein\u00a0<\/em>might be one of the most useful verbs in the German language<\/a>, it’s also the most irregular\u2014which begs the question:\u00a0How do you conjugate sein?<\/em><\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc skip=4]<\/p>\n

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How to Conjugate the German Verb Sein<\/em><\/h2>\n

Since\u00a0sein<\/em> appears so frequently in German, learning to conjugate it correctly is essential.<\/p>\n

Since it’s irregular<\/strong>, following a pattern all its own, you’re more likely to remember the correct conjugations if you get regular exposure to it.<\/p>\n

Sein <\/em>in the present tense<\/h3>\n

Using sein\u00a0<\/em>in the\u00a0present tense<\/a> is pretty straightforward. There’s even some good news here, as German does not have continuous tenses.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

We usually use the continuous present tense to describe something happening right now. We form this in English with “to be” and then add –<\/em>ing to the end of verbs: “I am<\/strong> running<\/strong>” or “She is<\/strong> speaking<\/strong>“.<\/p>\n

But in German, this tense simply doesn’t exist! There is no “I am doing”, you just “do”!<\/p>\n

So, make sure to not literally translate phrases like “I am working” with sein<\/em>. You don’t need it.<\/p>\n

You can just say the verb on its own in the standard present tense: Ich arbeite<\/em>. If you want to emphasize that it’s happening right now, just add in an adverb that says so:\u00a0Ich arbeite gerade<\/em>. (I’m working right now.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

You will however, need to know how to conjugate sein <\/em>in the present tense for numerous numerous other situations, so here’s how to conjugate sein<\/em> in the present tense:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t
ich bin<\/u> <\/em> <\/a>\n (I am)<\/td> wir sind<\/u> <\/em> <\/a>\n (we are)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
du bist<\/u> <\/em> <\/a>\n (you are)<\/td> ihr seid<\/u> <\/em> <\/a>\n (you are)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
er\/sie\/es ist<\/u> <\/em> <\/a>\n (he\/she\/it is)<\/td> Sie\/sie sind<\/u> <\/em> <\/a>\n (you\/they are)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Remember:\u00a0<\/strong>German has multiple words for “you.”\u00a0Du\u00a0<\/em>is the informal singular,\u00a0ihr\u00a0<\/em>is the informal plural, and\u00a0Sie<\/em> with a capital “s” can be used for both the formal singular and formal plural.<\/p>\n

Sein <\/em>in the literary past tense<\/h3>\n

You can use sein\u00a0<\/em>in the\u00a0Pr\u00e4teritum <\/em>(literary past tense<\/a>)\u00a0to say that something\u00a0was<\/strong> something or somewhere.<\/p>\n

Er war im Urlaub. <\/em>(He was on vacation.)<\/p>\n

Here’s how to conjugate\u00a0sein<\/em> in the literary past tense, or Pr\u00e4teritum<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t
ich war<\/u> <\/em> <\/a>\n (I was)<\/td> wir waren<\/u> <\/em> <\/a>\n (we were)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
du warst<\/u> <\/em> <\/a>\n (you were)<\/td> ihr wart<\/u> <\/em> <\/a>\n (you were)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
er\/sie\/es war<\/u> <\/em> <\/a>\n (he\/she it was)<\/td> Sie\/sie waren<\/u> <\/em> <\/a>\n (you\/they were)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

The German\u00a0Pr\u00e4teritum\u00a0<\/em>is often referred to as the literary past tense because it’s primarily used in formal writing, such as books, newspapers\u00a0and professional emails.<\/p>\n

That being said, the most common ones like\u00a0sein, haben,\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0modal verbs are very common in their Pr\u00e4teritum\u00a0<\/em>forms in spoken German as well.<\/p>\n

Sein <\/em>and subjunctive II<\/h3>\n

The subjunctive II<\/a>, or Konjunktiv<\/em>\u00a0II,<\/em> isn’t a tense, but rather a mood, and it’s used to imply things such as politeness or uncertainty:<\/p>\n

Danke, das w\u00e4re super. <\/em>(Thank you, that would be great.)<\/p>\n

Here’s how to conjugate\u00a0sein<\/em> in the subjunctive:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t
ich w\u00e4re<\/u> <\/em> <\/a>\n (I would be)<\/td> wir w\u00e4ren<\/u> <\/em> <\/a>\n (we would be)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
du w\u00e4rst\/w\u00e4rest<\/u> <\/em> <\/a>\n (you would be)<\/td> ihr w\u00e4ret<\/em> <\/u> <\/a>\n (you would be)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
er\/sie\/es w\u00e4re<\/u> <\/em> <\/a>\n (he\/she\/it would be)<\/td> Sie\/sie w\u00e4ren<\/u> <\/em> <\/a>\n (you\/they would be)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Pro Tip: <\/strong>If you ever find yourself in a German-speaking country, a common question the cashier will ask you is, “W\u00e4re das alles?” <\/em> which means “Would that be all?” You can reply with something like “Ja, danke, das war’s” <\/em>\u00a0which means “Yes, thank you, that was it.”<\/p>\n

Sein<\/em> and the perfect\u00a0tense<\/h3>\n

How to conjugate sein<\/em> in the perfect\u00a0tense<\/h4>\n

Sein\u00a0<\/em>can be constructed in the\u00a0Perfekt,\u00a0<\/em>just like any other verb. Here we use the present participle of sein<\/em>, which is gewesen .<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t
ich bin gewesen<\/u> <\/em> <\/a>\n (I have been)<\/td> wir sind gewesen<\/u> <\/em> <\/a>\n (we have been)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
du bist gewesen<\/u> <\/em> <\/a>\n (you have been)<\/td> ihr seid gewesen<\/u> <\/em> <\/a>\n (you have been)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
er\/sie\/es ist gewesen<\/u> <\/em> <\/a>\n (he\/she\/it has been)<\/td> Sie\/sie sind gewesen<\/u> <\/em> <\/a>\n (you\/they have been)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

The\u00a0Perfekt\u00a0<\/em>tense is the basic tense that English native speakers have the most trouble with initially because we tend to translate it directly. Keep in mind that the\u00a0Perfekt\u00a0<\/em>and Pr\u00e4teritum\u00a0<\/em>don’t have different meanings in German<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Therefore, both ich bin gewesen <\/em>\u00a0<\/em>and ich war <\/em> mean “I was,” and both are likely to pop up in Alltagsdeutsch <\/em>, <\/em>everyday German.<\/p>\n

Sein and the imperative<\/h3>\n

The Imperativ<\/em> (Imperative) mood is used to express orders or commands<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
du<\/em>\u00a0(informal singular)<\/td> sei<\/em> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ihr\u00a0<\/em>(informal plural)<\/td> seid<\/em> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sie<\/em>\u00a0(formal singular & plural)<\/td> seien Sie<\/em> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
wir<\/em>\u00a0(when making suggestions to a group)<\/td> seien wir<\/em> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

One way to remember the forms is to think of and memorize commands: Sei still! <\/em> (Be quiet!)\u00a0<\/p>\n

The imperative form can sometimes sound a bit harsh, so check out this article for a more nuanced look at ways to use German commands<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So far what we’ve covered are some of the basics of\u00a0sein<\/em>. To use these grammar structures naturally, you can practice using\u00a0sein<\/em> in context\u2014try spotting it in German YouTube vlogs, TV shows and other German media, or study with the videos on FluentU.<\/p>\n

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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How sein<\/em> is used to form the perfect\u00a0tense<\/h4>\n

One of the reasons why\u00a0sein\u00a0<\/em>is the most important verb in German is that it’s used alongside haben<\/em>\u00a0to form the\u00a0P<\/em>erfekt<\/em> (perfect)\u00a0tense<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Most German speakers use the Perfekt<\/em>\u00a0to describe the past in both spoken German and informal writing, such as texts with friends and family.<\/p>\n

To form the P<\/em>erfekt<\/em>, you need two things: an auxiliary verb<\/strong><\/a> (haben\u00a0<\/em>or\u00a0sein)<\/em> and a past participle<\/strong><\/a>, or\u00a0Partizip II. <\/em>And don’t forget, the participle goes at the end of the sentence!<\/strong><\/p>\n

So, how do you tell when to use\u00a0sein\u00a0<\/em>and when to use\u00a0haben\u00a0<\/em>as the auxiliary verb?<\/p>\n

A general rule of thumb is that verbs that take\u00a0sein\u00a0<\/em>involve either\u00a0motion\u00a0<\/strong>or\u00a0a\u00a0change in condition<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Er ist gefahren. <\/em> (He drove.)<\/p>\n

Er ist gestorben. <\/em>(He died.)<\/p>\n

So, when learning a new verb, if you suspect movement or change is involved, be make sure to check whether the verb takes haben <\/em>or sein<\/em>. And don’t worry if you get it wrong initially, just keep practicing and eventually it will become second nature.<\/p>\n

Here’s a list\u00a0of verbs that take sein<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>Remember that in terms of haben\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0sein<\/em>, verbs with separable prefixes behave just like their parent verbs.<\/p>\n

If you’re still unsure about how to create the\u00a0Partizip II<\/em>, use resources such as\u00a0Lingolia<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0VistaWide<\/a> to learn and practice.<\/p>\n