Good to know. Irregular (strong) verb: the stem changes. Learn the key forms together and the rest follows.
gefallen 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 | gefalleI please |
|---|---|
| du | gefällstyou please |
| er/sie/es | gefällthe/she pleases |
| wir | gefallenwe please |
| ihr | gefalltyou please |
| sie/Sie | gefallenthey please |
Präteritum
past, mostly written
| ich | gefielI pleased |
|---|---|
| du | gefielstyou pleased |
| er/sie/es | gefielhe/she pleased |
| wir | gefielenwe pleased |
| ihr | gefieltyou pleased |
| sie/Sie | gefielenthey pleased |
Perfekt
past, spoken, with haben
| ich | habe gefallenI have pleased |
|---|---|
| du | hast gefallenyou have pleased |
| er/sie/es | hat gefallenhe/she has pleased |
| wir | haben gefallenwe have pleased |
| ihr | habt gefallenyou have pleased |
| sie/Sie | haben gefallenthey have pleased |
Plusquamperfekt
had done
| ich | hatte gefallenI had pleased |
|---|---|
| du | hattest gefallenyou had pleased |
| er/sie/es | hatte gefallenhe/she had pleased |
| wir | hatten gefallenwe had pleased |
| ihr | hattet gefallenyou had pleased |
| sie/Sie | hatten gefallenthey had pleased |
Futur I
will do
| ich | werde gefallenI will please |
|---|---|
| du | wirst gefallenyou will please |
| er/sie/es | wird gefallenhe/she will please |
| wir | werden gefallenwe will please |
| ihr | werdet gefallenyou will please |
| sie/Sie | werden gefallenthey will please |
gefallen in use
- A1
Das Kleid gefällt mir.
I like the dress.
- A1
Wie gefällt dir Berlin?
How do you like Berlin?
- A2
Der Film hat uns sehr gut gefallen.
We really liked the film.
- B1
Die Idee gefiel ihm nicht.
He didn't like the idea.
Good to know
- The thing you like is the subject; the person is in the Dativ: Das gefällt mir.
- a → ä: es gefällt.
- Goes with: jemandem (Dativ) gefallen = someone likes 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 gefallen with haben or sein in the Perfekt?
gefallen takes haben. For example: habe gefallen.
What is the past tense of gefallen?
Präteritum: gefiel. Perfekt: habe gefallen.
Is gefallen a regular verb?
No, it's irregular (strong): the stem changes.