Good to know. Irregular (strong) verb: the stem changes. Learn the key forms together and the rest follows.
heißen 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 | heißeI be called |
|---|---|
| du | heißtyou be called |
| er/sie/es | heißthe/she is called |
| wir | heißenwe be called |
| ihr | heißtyou be called |
| sie/Sie | heißenthey be called |
Präteritum
past, mostly written
| ich | hießI was called |
|---|---|
| du | hießestyou was called |
| er/sie/es | hießhe/she was called |
| wir | hießenwe was called |
| ihr | hießtyou was called |
| sie/Sie | hießenthey was called |
Perfekt
past, spoken, with haben
| ich | habe geheißenI have been called |
|---|---|
| du | hast geheißenyou have been called |
| er/sie/es | hat geheißenhe/she has been called |
| wir | haben geheißenwe have been called |
| ihr | habt geheißenyou have been called |
| sie/Sie | haben geheißenthey have been called |
Plusquamperfekt
had done
| ich | hatte geheißenI had been called |
|---|---|
| du | hattest geheißenyou had been called |
| er/sie/es | hatte geheißenhe/she had been called |
| wir | hatten geheißenwe had been called |
| ihr | hattet geheißenyou had been called |
| sie/Sie | hatten geheißenthey had been called |
Futur I
will do
| ich | werde heißenI will be called |
|---|---|
| du | wirst heißenyou will be called |
| er/sie/es | wird heißenhe/she will be called |
| wir | werden heißenwe will be called |
| ihr | werdet heißenyou will be called |
| sie/Sie | werden heißenthey will be called |
heißen in use
- A1
Ich heiße Anna.
My name is Anna.
- A1
Wie heißen Sie?
What's your name?
- A1
Was heißt das auf Deutsch?
What's that in German?
- B1
Das Dorf hieß früher anders.
The village used to have a different name.
Phrases
- Wie heißt du?What's your name?
- das heißt (d. h.)that is (i.e.)
Good to know
- du heißt (not 'heißst').
- Was heißt ...? = What does ... mean?
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 heißen with haben or sein in the Perfekt?
heißen takes haben. For example: habe geheißen.
What is the past tense of heißen?
Präteritum: hieß. Perfekt: habe geheißen.
Is heißen a regular verb?
No, it's irregular (strong): the stem changes.