Good to know. Irregular (strong) verb: the stem changes. Learn the key forms together and the rest follows.
essen 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 | esseI eat |
|---|---|
| du | isstyou eat |
| er/sie/es | issthe/she eats |
| wir | essenwe eat |
| ihr | esstyou eat |
| sie/Sie | essenthey eat |
Präteritum
past, mostly written
| ich | aßI ate |
|---|---|
| du | aßestyou ate |
| er/sie/es | aßhe/she ate |
| wir | aßenwe ate |
| ihr | aßtyou ate |
| sie/Sie | aßenthey ate |
Perfekt
past, spoken, with haben
| ich | habe gegessenI have eaten |
|---|---|
| du | hast gegessenyou have eaten |
| er/sie/es | hat gegessenhe/she has eaten |
| wir | haben gegessenwe have eaten |
| ihr | habt gegessenyou have eaten |
| sie/Sie | haben gegessenthey have eaten |
Plusquamperfekt
had done
| ich | hatte gegessenI had eaten |
|---|---|
| du | hattest gegessenyou had eaten |
| er/sie/es | hatte gegessenhe/she had eaten |
| wir | hatten gegessenwe had eaten |
| ihr | hattet gegessenyou had eaten |
| sie/Sie | hatten gegessenthey had eaten |
Futur I
will do
| ich | werde essenI will eat |
|---|---|
| du | wirst essenyou will eat |
| er/sie/es | wird essenhe/she will eat |
| wir | werden essenwe will eat |
| ihr | werdet essenyou will eat |
| sie/Sie | werden essenthey will eat |
Imperativ
telling someone to do it
| du | Iss! |
|---|---|
| ihr | Esst! |
| Sie | Essen Sie! |
essen in use
- A1
Ich esse gern Pizza.
I like eating pizza.
- A1
Was isst du zum Frühstück?
What do you eat for breakfast?
- A1
Wir haben schon gegessen.
We've already eaten.
- A1
Iss deinen Salat!
Eat your salad!
- B1
Früher aß sie nie Fleisch.
She never used to eat meat.
Phrases
- zu Mittag essento have lunch
- zu Abend essento have dinner
Good to know
- e changes to i with du and er/sie/es: du isst, er isst.
- 'das Essen' with a capital E is the noun: the food, the meal.
- Goes with: etwas (Akkusativ) essen
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 essen with haben or sein in the Perfekt?
essen takes haben. For example: habe gegessen.
What is the past tense of essen?
Präteritum: aß. Perfekt: habe gegessen.
Is essen a regular verb?
No, it's irregular (strong): the stem changes.