Good to know. Irregular (strong) verb: the stem changes. Learn the key forms together and the rest follows.
bitten 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 | bitteI ask for |
|---|---|
| du | bittestyou ask for |
| er/sie/es | bittethe/she asks for |
| wir | bittenwe ask for |
| ihr | bittetyou ask for |
| sie/Sie | bittenthey ask for |
Präteritum
past, mostly written
| ich | batI asked for |
|---|---|
| du | batstyou asked for |
| er/sie/es | bathe/she asked for |
| wir | batenwe asked for |
| ihr | batetyou asked for |
| sie/Sie | batenthey asked for |
Perfekt
past, spoken, with haben
| ich | habe gebetenI have asked for |
|---|---|
| du | hast gebetenyou have asked for |
| er/sie/es | hat gebetenhe/she has asked for |
| wir | haben gebetenwe have asked for |
| ihr | habt gebetenyou have asked for |
| sie/Sie | haben gebetenthey have asked for |
Plusquamperfekt
had done
| ich | hatte gebetenI had asked for |
|---|---|
| du | hattest gebetenyou had asked for |
| er/sie/es | hatte gebetenhe/she had asked for |
| wir | hatten gebetenwe had asked for |
| ihr | hattet gebetenyou had asked for |
| sie/Sie | hatten gebetenthey had asked for |
Futur I
will do
| ich | werde bittenI will ask for |
|---|---|
| du | wirst bittenyou will ask for |
| er/sie/es | wird bittenhe/she will ask for |
| wir | werden bittenwe will ask for |
| ihr | werdet bittenyou will ask for |
| sie/Sie | werden bittenthey will ask for |
Imperativ
telling someone to do it
| du | Bitte! |
|---|---|
| ihr | Bittet! |
| Sie | Bitten Sie! |
bitten in use
- A1
Ich bitte dich um Hilfe.
I'm asking you for help.
- A2
Sie hat mich um einen Termin gebeten.
She asked me for an appointment.
- B1
Er bat sie, leise zu sein.
He asked her to be quiet.
Phrases
- um Hilfe bittento ask for help
Good to know
- jemanden um etwas bitten = to ask someone for something.
- For questions use 'fragen'; 'bitten' = ask FOR something.
- Goes with: jemanden (Akkusativ) um etwas (Akkusativ) bitten
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 bitten with haben or sein in the Perfekt?
bitten takes haben. For example: habe gebeten.
What is the past tense of bitten?
Präteritum: bat. Perfekt: habe gebeten.
Is bitten a regular verb?
No, it's irregular (strong): the stem changes.