Good to know. Irregular (strong) verb: the stem changes. Learn the key forms together and the rest follows.
lesen 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 | leseI read |
|---|---|
| du | liestyou read |
| er/sie/es | liesthe/she reads |
| wir | lesenwe read |
| ihr | lestyou read |
| sie/Sie | lesenthey read |
Präteritum
past, mostly written
| ich | lasI read |
|---|---|
| du | lasestyou read |
| er/sie/es | lashe/she read |
| wir | lasenwe read |
| ihr | lastyou read |
| sie/Sie | lasenthey read |
Perfekt
past, spoken, with haben
| ich | habe gelesenI have read |
|---|---|
| du | hast gelesenyou have read |
| er/sie/es | hat gelesenhe/she has read |
| wir | haben gelesenwe have read |
| ihr | habt gelesenyou have read |
| sie/Sie | haben gelesenthey have read |
Plusquamperfekt
had done
| ich | hatte gelesenI had read |
|---|---|
| du | hattest gelesenyou had read |
| er/sie/es | hatte gelesenhe/she had read |
| wir | hatten gelesenwe had read |
| ihr | hattet gelesenyou had read |
| sie/Sie | hatten gelesenthey had read |
Futur I
will do
| ich | werde lesenI will read |
|---|---|
| du | wirst lesenyou will read |
| er/sie/es | wird lesenhe/she will read |
| wir | werden lesenwe will read |
| ihr | werdet lesenyou will read |
| sie/Sie | werden lesenthey will read |
Imperativ
telling someone to do it
| du | Lies! |
|---|---|
| ihr | Lest! |
| Sie | Lesen Sie! |
lesen in use
- A1
Ich lese ein Buch.
I'm reading a book.
- A1
Liest du gern?
Do you like reading?
- A2
Hast du die Nachricht gelesen?
Have you read the message?
- B1
Abends las sie den Kindern vor.
In the evenings she read to the children.
Phrases
- vorlesento read aloud
Good to know
- e → ie: du liest, er liest.
- Irregular: las, gelesen.
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 lesen with haben or sein in the Perfekt?
lesen takes haben. For example: habe gelesen.
What is the past tense of lesen?
Präteritum: las. Perfekt: habe gelesen.
Is lesen a regular verb?
No, it's irregular (strong): the stem changes.