94 top irregular verbs in German & their verb conjugations

Irregular verbs are the rebels of grammar: They break the rules and refuse to follow the standard patterns.

Usually, German grammar is nothing but methodical and logical, but there are a few rogue verbs that dance to their own beat:

As a German language learner, you’ll encounter about 200 irregular verbs. Some of them only show irregularities in the present tense or the past tense. Some are through and through unpredictable and you’ll have to learn each form by itself - but don’t worry. We’ve collected the most important ones for you, making it very easy to learn and understand them!

Table of contents

• Understanding irregular verbs
• How to identify irregular verbs
• Types of irregular verbs
  • Strong verbs
  • Mixed verbs
  • Modal verbs
  • Separable Verbs
  • Irregular auxiliary verbs
• 70 more common German irregular verbs and their conjugation

Understanding irregular verbs in German

Regular verbs follow predictable patterns in their conjugation, where the verb stem stays unchanged while different endings are added based on the tense, mood and person.

They’re easy to use because they all work the same way. You just have to find the word stem, and then add the respective ending.

Let’s take a look at the regular verb “machen” (to do or make). To determine the stem of a verb, just remove the ending “en”: machen → mach

Then add the regular verb ending:

Irregular German verbs deviate from this pattern, making their conjugation forms unique and unpredictable.

Here’s how the irregular German verb “sein” (to be) is conjugated:

It’s likely that these verbs initially followed a consistent pattern as regular verbs, but over time, they evolved in ways that broke away from those and became irregular. The more frequently a verb is used, the more opportunities for small changes arise and exceptions eventually become embedded in the language.

That’s why the most common words of a language are usually irregular. That makes it so crucial that you learn irregular verbs! Some irregularities are also remnants of older linguistic rules that have fallen out of use, preserving a piece of linguistic history.

How to identify and recognize German irregular verbs

It’s not always obvious if a verb is regular or not but here are some key characteristics to help you spot irregularities:

• Most common verbs

Usually, the most common verbs of a language are irregular. So if a word is extremely common, watch out!

• Vowel changes

Many irregular verbs experience a vowel change in their stem when conjugated, especially in the second and third person singular. For example, the verb "sprechen" (to speak) becomes "sprichst" in the second person singular.

• Umlaute

Irregular German verbs often use an Umlaut like “ä”, “ö”, or “ü”. So if the verb stem has an “a”, “o” or “u”, this might turn into an “ä”, “ö” or ”ü” when conjugated. For example, the verb "fahren" (to drive) becomes "fährst" in the second person singular.

To practice German irregular verb conjugations, try this:

• Start with the most important words

Learn how to conjugate “sein” (to be) in all moods and tenses first. This is the most common irregular verb, which will get you very far in conversations.

• Flashcards

Write the infinitive form of the verb on one side of a flashcard, and the conjugated forms on the other. Then shuffle the cards and quiz yourself - old school, but effective!

• Fill in the blanks

Find or create sentences with missing verbs and fill in the blanks using the correct form of an irregular verb. This will train you to use the correct verb form in context.

• Conjugation tables

Copying verb conjugation tables might not be your favorite pastime but it works! Luckily we have collected 70 of those tables for you here. So grab a pen and paper!

Types of German irregular verbs

In German, irregular verbs can be divided into different categories:

• Strong verbs
• Mixed verbs
• Modal verbs
• Separable Verbs
• Irregular auxiliary verbs

Strong Verbs (Starke Verben)

Strong verbs, or "starke Verben" in German, are a specific category of irregular verbs in which the root vowel changes when you put them in the past tense:

1. To swim - Schwimmen

2. To see - Sehen

3. To eat - Essen

Learn about food in German and how to order it here.

4. To run - Laufen

5. To drink - Trinken

Learn more about types of drinks in German here.

Mixed Verbs (Gemischte Verben)

"Mixed verbs," or "gemischte Verben“ are a blend of both regular and irregular verbs. They have some elements that follow regular conjugation patterns and others that break the rules.

Mixed verbs show irregularities specifically in the past tense (Präteritum) and in the past participle (Partizip II), but their stem does not change:

1. To bring - Bringen

2. To think - Denken

3. To know - Wissen

4. To name - Nennen

5. To burn - Brennen

Modal Verbs (Modale Verben)

Modal verbs, or "Modalverben", modify the mood of another verb to express necessity, possibility, permission, or ability. In German, there are six modal verbs:

1. Like - Mögen

2. Must - Müssen

3. May - Dürfen

4. Should - Sollen

5. Want - Wollen

6. Can - Können

Separable verbs (Trennbare Verben)

Separable verbs, or "trennbare Verben" in German, are compound verbs whose prefix can be detached from the base verb and moved within the sentence. This unique feature is the reason why you’ll sometimes think a German sentence is already over, just to be surprised by a random seeming preposition at the very end of the sentence:

“Ich kaufe gerade bei meinem Lieblingssupermarkt um die Ecke…ein!” (I’m shopping at my favorite supermarket around the corner)

The irregularity of separable verbs isn't in their conjugation, but rather their sentence position:

1. To get up - Aufstehen

Ich stehe um 7 Uhr auf. (I get up at 7 o'clock, literally: I stand at 7 o’clock up)

2. To accept - Annehmen

Er nahm ein Paket für die Nachbarin an. (He accepted a package for the neighbor, literally: He took a package for the neighbor on)

3. To look - Aussehen

Sie sieht wie ihre Mutter aus. (She looks like her mother, literally: she looks like her mother out)

4. To come back - Zurückkommen

Wir kommen morgen zurück. (We come back tomorrow, literally: We come tomorrow back)

5. To take along - Mitbehmen

Nimmst du mich mit? (Will you take me along? Literally: Take you me with?)

Irregular auxiliary verbs

In German, there are three irregular auxiliary verbs or “Hilfsverben”. These are used to form different tenses or moods.

1. To be - Sein

2.To have - Haben

3. To become - Werden

70 more common German irregular verbs and their conjugation

Of course it’s helpful to understand the different categories of irregular verbs and where some changes came from - but at the end of the day, you’re just gonna have to learn each irregular verb by heart. There’s no way around it.

So we’ll make it very easy for you: Here are the 70 most commonly used irregular German verbs with their English meaning:

1. To be - Sein

2. To be able to / can - Können

3. To see - Sehen

4. To have - Haben

5. To know - Wissen

6. Must - Müssen

7. To want - Wollen

8. Should - Sollen

9. To drive - Fahren

10. To help - Helfen

11. To throw - Werfen

12. To speak - Sprechen

13. To take - Nehmen

14. May - Dürfen

15. To like - Mögen

16. To give - Geben

17. To run - Laufen

18. To read - Lesen

19. To sit - Sitzen

20. To find - Finden

21. To stay - Bleiben

22. To fall - Fallen

23. To meet - Treffen

24. To become - Werden

25. To eat - Essen

26. To catch - Fangen

27. To fly - Fliegen

28. To hold - Halten

29. To know of - Kennen

30. To represent - Vertreten

31. To carry - Tragen

32. To wash - Waschen

33. To write - Schreiben

34. To sleep - Schlafen

35. To win - Gewinnen

36. To forget - Vergessen

37. To lose - Verlieren

38. To begin - Beginnen

39. To pull - Ziehen

40. To climb - Steigen

41. To lie - Lügen

42. To break something- Brechen

43. To dig - Graben

44. To hit - Schlagen

45. To die - Sterben

46. To cheat - Betrügen

47. To beg - Bitten

48. To bind - Binden

49. To bake - Backen

50. To hang - Hängen

51. To lift - Heben

52. To suffer - Leiden

53. To rip - Reißen

54. To smell - Riechen

55. To discuss - Besprechen

56. To cut - Schneiden

57. To promise - Versprechen

58. To forgive - Vergeben

59. To push - Stoßen

60. To interrupt - Unterbrechen

61. To command - Befehlen

62. To steal - Stehlen

63. To shine- Scheinen

64. To swear - Schwören

65. To disappear - Verschwinden

66. To break (down) - Zerbrechen

67. To measure - Messen

68. To melt - Schmelzen

69. To enjoy - Genießen

70. To leave - Verlassen

Don’t be afraid to break the rules

Language is alive. It changes with us, reflecting cultural shifts and patterns of use. So irregularities add depth and prove that languages are not rigid structures, but rather fluid, dynamic systems.

Whenever you’re afraid to use a wrong verb form or break a grammar rule, keep in mind that if enough people use an alternative form, it eventually becomes the norm. So who says you’re wrong? Maybe you’re just an early adopter of future verb forms.And if you do want to stick to the current standard, remember: The key to mastering irregular verbs is regular practice. So keep up with our German Language Blog and deepen your language skills one article at a time!