Good to know. Regular (weak) verb: Präteritum with -te (ich machte), Partizip with ge- and -t (gemacht). Most German verbs work like this.
kaufen 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 | kaufeI buy |
|---|---|
| du | kaufstyou buy |
| er/sie/es | kaufthe/she buys |
| wir | kaufenwe buy |
| ihr | kauftyou buy |
| sie/Sie | kaufenthey buy |
Präteritum
past, mostly written
| ich | kaufteI bought |
|---|---|
| du | kauftestyou bought |
| er/sie/es | kauftehe/she bought |
| wir | kauftenwe bought |
| ihr | kauftetyou bought |
| sie/Sie | kauftenthey bought |
Perfekt
past, spoken, with haben
| ich | habe gekauftI have bought |
|---|---|
| du | hast gekauftyou have bought |
| er/sie/es | hat gekaufthe/she has bought |
| wir | haben gekauftwe have bought |
| ihr | habt gekauftyou have bought |
| sie/Sie | haben gekauftthey have bought |
Plusquamperfekt
had done
| ich | hatte gekauftI had bought |
|---|---|
| du | hattest gekauftyou had bought |
| er/sie/es | hatte gekaufthe/she had bought |
| wir | hatten gekauftwe had bought |
| ihr | hattet gekauftyou had bought |
| sie/Sie | hatten gekauftthey had bought |
Futur I
will do
| ich | werde kaufenI will buy |
|---|---|
| du | wirst kaufenyou will buy |
| er/sie/es | wird kaufenhe/she will buy |
| wir | werden kaufenwe will buy |
| ihr | werdet kaufenyou will buy |
| sie/Sie | werden kaufenthey will buy |
Imperativ
telling someone to do it
| du | Kauf! |
|---|---|
| ihr | Kauft! |
| Sie | Kaufen Sie! |
kaufen in use
- A1
Ich kaufe einen Kaffee.
I'm buying a coffee.
- A1
Wo hast du die Schuhe gekauft?
Where did you buy the shoes?
- A2
Wir kaufen unserer Mutter Blumen.
We're buying our mother flowers.
for someone = Dativ
- A1
Kauf bitte noch Milch!
Please buy some milk too!
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 kaufen with haben or sein in the Perfekt?
kaufen takes haben. For example: habe gekauft.
What is the past tense of kaufen?
Präteritum: kaufte. Perfekt: habe gekauft.
Is kaufen a regular verb?
Yes, it's regular (weak).