German Strong Verbs (G-M)
Irregular German Verbs
How to Conjugate German Irregular (Strong) Verbs
In the following charts we have listed all the basic German verbs that have irregular forms that must be memorized. (Weak (regular) verbs follow a predictable pattern, and do not vary the way that strong verbs do.) Also see Mixed Verbs for verbs that combine elements of weak and strong verbs.
Only some compound verbs are listed (i.e., anfangen). To conjugate other compound verbs based on other verbs, e.g., abgeben, based on geben, simply use the stem verb (in this case "geben") with the prefix (in this case "ab") to get the past (gab ab) or past participle (abgegeben).
NOTE: Participles that require sein as a helping verb are indicated by ist in front of the past participle. The English meaning shown for each verb may be only one of several possible meanings.
This verb chart uses the new German spelling (die neue Rechtschreibung)!
Click on any linked verb to learn more about its conjugation and use.
STRONG VERBS > A-F | G-M | N-Schw | Se-Z | Examples
MORE > Verb-Lexikon - All verbs (index)
MORE > Ablaut Classes of strong verbs (alphabetical list)
| Starke Verben - Strong Verbs - G-M | ||
|---|---|---|
| INFINITIV | PRÄTERITUM (Preterite) |
PERFEKT (Past Participle) |
| G | ||
| gären ferment | gor fermented | gegoren fermented |
| gebären bear (child) | gebar bore | geboren born |
| geben give | gab gave | gegeben given |
| gedeihen flourish | gedieh flourished | ist gediehen flourished |
| gefallen be pleasing, like | gefiel liked | gefallen liked |
| gehen go | ging went | ist gegangen gone |
| gelingen succeed | gelang succeeded | ist gelungen succeeded |
| gelten be valid | galt was valid | gegolten been valid |
| genesen recover | genas recovered | genesen recovered |
| genießen enjoy | genoß enjoyed | genossen enjoyed |
| geschehen happen | geschah happened | ist geschehen happened |
| gewinnen win | gewann won | gewonnen won |
| gießen pour | goß poured | gegossen poured |
| gleichen resemble | glich resembled | geglichen resembled |
| gleiten glide, slide | glitt glided | ist geglitten glided |
| glimmen glow, smoulder | glomm* glowed | ist geglommen* glowed |
| *Also glimmte and hat geglimmt (weak) | ||
| graben dig | grub dug | gegraben dug |
| greifen grasp | griff grasped | gegriffen grasped |
| H | ||
| haben have | hatte had | gehabt had |
| For the complete conjugation of the verb haben in the present tense, see Lesson 4 of German for Beginners. | ||
| halten hold | hielt held | gehalten held |
| hängen hang | hing hung/hanged* | gehangen hung/hanged* |
| *The verb hängen is weak in transitive situations ("Er hängte das Bild an die Wand.") and strong in intransitive situations ("Das Bild hing an der Wand."). | ||
| hauen hew, hit | haute* hit | gehauen hit |
| *The strong past form hieb is used when the meaning is "struck (him) with a weapon." | ||
| heben lift | hob lifted | gehoben lifted |
| heißen be called | hieß named | geheißen named |
| helfen help | half helped | geholfen helped |
| See the ablaut groups for learning the various patterns (a-u-a, e-a-o, etc.) of German strong verbs. | ||
| K | ||
| kennen* know | kannte knew | gekannt known |
| *The verb kennen is a "mixed" verb, combining elements of strong and weak verbs. For more see our Mixed Verbs page. | ||
| klingen ring | klang rang | geklungen rung |
| kneifen pinch | kniff pinched | gekniffen pinched |
| kommen come | kam came | ist gekommen come |
| können can | konnte could | gekonnt* could |
| *With an infinitive, the past participle is können: "Ich habe nicht gehen können." | ||
| kriechen crawl | kroch crawled | ist gekrochen crawled |
| L | ||
| laden load | lud loaded | geladen loaded |
| lassen let, allow | ließ let | gelassen let |
| laufen run | lief ran | ist gelaufen run |
| leiden suffer | litt suffered | gelitten suffered |
| leihen lend | lieh lent | geliehen lent |
| lesen read | las read | gelesen read |
| liegen* lie | lag lay | gelegen lain |
| *Do not confuse liegen (lie, recline, strong) and (sich) legen (lay, put, weak)! | ||
| lügen lie | log lied | gelogen lied |
| M | ||
| mahlen grind | mahlte ground | gemahlen ground |
| meiden avoid | mied avoided | gemieden avoided |
| messen measure | maß measured | gemessen measured |
| misslingen fail | misslang failed | misslungen failed |
| mögen like | mochte liked | gemocht* liked |
| *With an infinitive, the past participle is mögen: "Sie hat nicht gehen mögen." | ||
| müssen must | musste had to | gemusst* had to |
| *Used with an infinitive, as with all modals, the past participle is the infinitive müssen: "Wir haben nicht gehen müssen." | ||
NEXT > N-Schw
MORE > A-F | G-M | N-Schw | Se-Z | Examples
MORE > Verb-Lexikon - All verbs (index)
| Ablaut Classes - Alphabetical List German Strong-Verb Vowel Patterns |
|
| a - ie - a (Class 7) | ei - i - i (Class 1a) |
| a - u - a (Class 6) | ei - ie - ie (Class 1b) |
| e - a - e (Class 5) | i - a - o/u (Class 3a) |
| e - a - o (Class 3b/4) | ie - o - o (Class 2) |
| e - o - o (Class 3b/4) | [x] - ie - [x] (Class 7) |
| Mixed Verbs combine weak and strong elements |
|
| Ablaut Classes 1-7 | |
German Verbs - Contents
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