Good to know. Regular (weak) verb: Präteritum with -te (ich machte), Partizip with ge- and -t (gemacht). Most German verbs work like this.
lernen 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 | lerneI learn |
|---|---|
| du | lernstyou learn |
| er/sie/es | lernthe/she learns |
| wir | lernenwe learn |
| ihr | lerntyou learn |
| sie/Sie | lernenthey learn |
Präteritum
past, mostly written
| ich | lernteI learned |
|---|---|
| du | lerntestyou learned |
| er/sie/es | lerntehe/she learned |
| wir | lerntenwe learned |
| ihr | lerntetyou learned |
| sie/Sie | lerntenthey learned |
Perfekt
past, spoken, with haben
| ich | habe gelerntI have learned |
|---|---|
| du | hast gelerntyou have learned |
| er/sie/es | hat gelernthe/she has learned |
| wir | haben gelerntwe have learned |
| ihr | habt gelerntyou have learned |
| sie/Sie | haben gelerntthey have learned |
Plusquamperfekt
had done
| ich | hatte gelerntI had learned |
|---|---|
| du | hattest gelerntyou had learned |
| er/sie/es | hatte gelernthe/she had learned |
| wir | hatten gelerntwe had learned |
| ihr | hattet gelerntyou had learned |
| sie/Sie | hatten gelerntthey had learned |
Futur I
will do
| ich | werde lernenI will learn |
|---|---|
| du | wirst lernenyou will learn |
| er/sie/es | wird lernenhe/she will learn |
| wir | werden lernenwe will learn |
| ihr | werdet lernenyou will learn |
| sie/Sie | werden lernenthey will learn |
Imperativ
telling someone to do it
| du | Lern! |
|---|---|
| ihr | Lernt! |
| Sie | Lernen Sie! |
lernen in use
- A1
Ich lerne Deutsch.
I'm learning German.
- A1
Morgen ist die Prüfung, ich muss lernen.
The exam's tomorrow, I have to study.
- A2
Wo hast du so gut Deutsch gelernt?
Where did you learn such good German?
Good to know
- Regular: lernte, gelernt.
- lernen = learn / study; studieren = study at university.
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 lernen with haben or sein in the Perfekt?
lernen takes haben. For example: habe gelernt.
What is the past tense of lernen?
Präteritum: lernte. Perfekt: habe gelernt.
Is lernen a regular verb?
Yes, it's regular (weak).