Good to know. Regular (weak) verb: Präteritum with -te (ich machte), Partizip with ge- and -t (gemacht). Most German verbs work like this.
legen 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 | legeI put |
|---|---|
| du | legstyou put |
| er/sie/es | legthe/she puts |
| wir | legenwe put |
| ihr | legtyou put |
| sie/Sie | legenthey put |
Präteritum
past, mostly written
| ich | legteI put |
|---|---|
| du | legtestyou put |
| er/sie/es | legtehe/she put |
| wir | legtenwe put |
| ihr | legtetyou put |
| sie/Sie | legtenthey put |
Perfekt
past, spoken, with haben
| ich | habe gelegtI have put |
|---|---|
| du | hast gelegtyou have put |
| er/sie/es | hat gelegthe/she has put |
| wir | haben gelegtwe have put |
| ihr | habt gelegtyou have put |
| sie/Sie | haben gelegtthey have put |
Plusquamperfekt
had done
| ich | hatte gelegtI had put |
|---|---|
| du | hattest gelegtyou had put |
| er/sie/es | hatte gelegthe/she had put |
| wir | hatten gelegtwe had put |
| ihr | hattet gelegtyou had put |
| sie/Sie | hatten gelegtthey had put |
Futur I
will do
| ich | werde legenI will put |
|---|---|
| du | wirst legenyou will put |
| er/sie/es | wird legenhe/she will put |
| wir | werden legenwe will put |
| ihr | werdet legenyou will put |
| sie/Sie | werden legenthey will put |
Imperativ
telling someone to do it
| du | Leg! |
|---|---|
| ihr | Legt! |
| Sie | Legen Sie! |
legen in use
- A1
Leg das Buch auf den Tisch.
Put the book on the table.
Wohin? → Akkusativ
- A2
Ich lege mich kurz hin.
I'm going to lie down for a bit.
- A2
Wohin hast du meine Brille gelegt?
Where did you put my glasses?
Good to know
- legen (put, action) + Akkusativ; liegen (lie, state) + Dativ.
- stellen = put upright; legen = put flat.
- Goes with: etwas (Akkusativ) irgendwohin (Akkusativ) legen
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 legen with haben or sein in the Perfekt?
legen takes haben. For example: habe gelegt.
What is the past tense of legen?
Präteritum: legte. Perfekt: habe gelegt.
Is legen a regular verb?
Yes, it's regular (weak).