Good to know. Irregular (strong) verb: the stem changes. Learn the key forms together and the rest follows.
bekommen in every tense
The three you'll use most are highlighted: Präsens for now, Perfekt for the past when you speak, Futur I for later.
Präsens
now
| ich | bekommeI get |
|---|---|
| du | bekommstyou get |
| er/sie/es | bekommthe/she gets |
| wir | bekommenwe get |
| ihr | bekommtyou get |
| sie/Sie | bekommenthey get |
Präteritum
past, mostly written
| ich | bekamI got |
|---|---|
| du | bekamstyou got |
| er/sie/es | bekamhe/she got |
| wir | bekamenwe got |
| ihr | bekamtyou got |
| sie/Sie | bekamenthey got |
Perfekt
past, spoken, with haben
| ich | habe bekommenI have got |
|---|---|
| du | hast bekommenyou have got |
| er/sie/es | hat bekommenhe/she has got |
| wir | haben bekommenwe have got |
| ihr | habt bekommenyou have got |
| sie/Sie | haben bekommenthey have got |
Plusquamperfekt
had done
| ich | hatte bekommenI had got |
|---|---|
| du | hattest bekommenyou had got |
| er/sie/es | hatte bekommenhe/she had got |
| wir | hatten bekommenwe had got |
| ihr | hattet bekommenyou had got |
| sie/Sie | hatten bekommenthey had got |
Futur I
will do
| ich | werde bekommenI will get |
|---|---|
| du | wirst bekommenyou will get |
| er/sie/es | wird bekommenhe/she will get |
| wir | werden bekommenwe will get |
| ihr | werdet bekommenyou will get |
| sie/Sie | werden bekommenthey will get |
Imperativ
telling someone to do it
| du | Bekomm! |
|---|---|
| ihr | Bekommt! |
| Sie | Bekommen Sie! |
bekommen in use
- A1
Ich bekomme einen Kaffee, bitte.
I'll have a coffee, please.
ordering: Ich bekomme ...
- A1
Hast du meine E-Mail bekommen?
Did you get my email?
- A2
Sie bekommt im Juni ein Baby.
She's having a baby in June.
- B1
Zum Geburtstag bekam er ein Fahrrad.
He got a bike for his birthday.
Phrases
- Was bekommen Sie?What can I get you?
Good to know
- False friend: 'bekommen' = to get, NOT 'to become' (that's 'werden').
- Past participle = infinitive: bekommen.
- Goes with: etwas (Akkusativ) bekommen; von + Dativ (von meiner Mutter)
Build it yourself.
Ziplex has a Verben bauen game: build verb forms from tiles, with the verbs from your own posts. Plus short posts at your level to see them in action.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is bekommen with haben or sein in the Perfekt?
bekommen takes haben. For example: habe bekommen.
What is the past tense of bekommen?
Präteritum: bekam. Perfekt: habe bekommen.
Is bekommen a regular verb?
No, it's irregular (strong): the stem changes.