Good to know. Regular (weak) verb: Präteritum with -te (ich machte), Partizip with ge- and -t (gemacht). Most German verbs work like this.
fehlen 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 | fehleI be missing |
|---|---|
| du | fehlstyou be missing |
| er/sie/es | fehlthe/she is missing |
| wir | fehlenwe be missing |
| ihr | fehltyou be missing |
| sie/Sie | fehlenthey be missing |
Präteritum
past, mostly written
| ich | fehlteI was missing |
|---|---|
| du | fehltestyou was missing |
| er/sie/es | fehltehe/she was missing |
| wir | fehltenwe was missing |
| ihr | fehltetyou was missing |
| sie/Sie | fehltenthey was missing |
Perfekt
past, spoken, with haben
| ich | habe gefehltI have been missing |
|---|---|
| du | hast gefehltyou have been missing |
| er/sie/es | hat gefehlthe/she has been missing |
| wir | haben gefehltwe have been missing |
| ihr | habt gefehltyou have been missing |
| sie/Sie | haben gefehltthey have been missing |
Plusquamperfekt
had done
| ich | hatte gefehltI had been missing |
|---|---|
| du | hattest gefehltyou had been missing |
| er/sie/es | hatte gefehlthe/she had been missing |
| wir | hatten gefehltwe had been missing |
| ihr | hattet gefehltyou had been missing |
| sie/Sie | hatten gefehltthey had been missing |
Futur I
will do
| ich | werde fehlenI will be missing |
|---|---|
| du | wirst fehlenyou will be missing |
| er/sie/es | wird fehlenhe/she will be missing |
| wir | werden fehlenwe will be missing |
| ihr | werdet fehlenyou will be missing |
| sie/Sie | werden fehlenthey will be missing |
Imperativ
telling someone to do it
| du | Fehl! |
|---|---|
| ihr | Fehlt! |
| Sie | Fehlen Sie! |
fehlen in use
- A1
Hier fehlt eine Seite.
There's a page missing here.
- A1
Was fehlt Ihnen?
What's wrong with you? (at the doctor's)
- A2
Sie hat gestern in der Schule gefehlt.
She was absent from school yesterday.
- B1
Du fehlst mir sehr.
I miss you a lot.
the person who misses is in the Dativ
Phrases
- Was fehlt dir?What's the matter?
Good to know
- Watch the order: Du fehlst mir = I miss you.
- Was fehlt dir? = What's wrong? / What's the matter?
- Goes with: jemandem (Dativ) fehlen = someone misses it
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 fehlen with haben or sein in the Perfekt?
fehlen takes haben. For example: habe gefehlt.
What is the past tense of fehlen?
Präteritum: fehlte. Perfekt: habe gefehlt.
Is fehlen a regular verb?
Yes, it's regular (weak).