Good to know. Irregular (strong) verb: the stem changes. Learn the key forms together and the rest follows.
dürfen 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 | darfI be allowed to |
|---|---|
| du | darfstyou be allowed to |
| er/sie/es | darfhe/she is allowed to |
| wir | dürfenwe be allowed to |
| ihr | dürftyou be allowed to |
| sie/Sie | dürfenthey be allowed to |
Präteritum
past, mostly written
| ich | durfteI was allowed to |
|---|---|
| du | durftestyou was allowed to |
| er/sie/es | durftehe/she was allowed to |
| wir | durftenwe was allowed to |
| ihr | durftetyou was allowed to |
| sie/Sie | durftenthey was allowed to |
Perfekt
past, spoken, with haben
| ich | habe gedurftI have been allowed to |
|---|---|
| du | hast gedurftyou have been allowed to |
| er/sie/es | hat gedurfthe/she has been allowed to |
| wir | haben gedurftwe have been allowed to |
| ihr | habt gedurftyou have been allowed to |
| sie/Sie | haben gedurftthey have been allowed to |
Plusquamperfekt
had done
| ich | hatte gedurftI had been allowed to |
|---|---|
| du | hattest gedurftyou had been allowed to |
| er/sie/es | hatte gedurfthe/she had been allowed to |
| wir | hatten gedurftwe had been allowed to |
| ihr | hattet gedurftyou had been allowed to |
| sie/Sie | hatten gedurftthey had been allowed to |
Futur I
will do
| ich | werde dürfenI will be allowed to |
|---|---|
| du | wirst dürfenyou will be allowed to |
| er/sie/es | wird dürfenhe/she will be allowed to |
| wir | werden dürfenwe will be allowed to |
| ihr | werdet dürfenyou will be allowed to |
| sie/Sie | werden dürfenthey will be allowed to |
dürfen in use
- A1
Darf ich hier rauchen?
May I smoke here?
- A1
Hier darf man nicht parken.
You're not allowed to park here.
- A2
Was darf es sein?
What can I get you?
- A2
Als Kind durfte ich nicht lange fernsehen.
As a child I wasn't allowed to watch TV for long.
Phrases
- Was darf es sein?What can I get you?
Good to know
- Modal verb: the second verb goes to the end: Ich darf heute länger bleiben.
- 'nicht dürfen' = must not (not 'don't have to').
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 dürfen with haben or sein in the Perfekt?
dürfen takes haben. For example: habe gedurft.
What is the past tense of dürfen?
Präteritum: durfte. Perfekt: habe gedurft.
Is dürfen a regular verb?
No, it's irregular (strong): the stem changes.