Good to know. Regular (weak) verb: Präteritum with -te (ich machte), Partizip with ge- and -t (gemacht). Most German verbs work like this.
machen 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 | macheI do |
|---|---|
| du | machstyou do |
| er/sie/es | machthe/she does |
| wir | machenwe do |
| ihr | machtyou do |
| sie/Sie | machenthey do |
Präteritum
past, mostly written
| ich | machteI did |
|---|---|
| du | machtestyou did |
| er/sie/es | machtehe/she did |
| wir | machtenwe did |
| ihr | machtetyou did |
| sie/Sie | machtenthey did |
Perfekt
past, spoken, with haben
| ich | habe gemachtI have done |
|---|---|
| du | hast gemachtyou have done |
| er/sie/es | hat gemachthe/she has done |
| wir | haben gemachtwe have done |
| ihr | habt gemachtyou have done |
| sie/Sie | haben gemachtthey have done |
Plusquamperfekt
had done
| ich | hatte gemachtI had done |
|---|---|
| du | hattest gemachtyou had done |
| er/sie/es | hatte gemachthe/she had done |
| wir | hatten gemachtwe had done |
| ihr | hattet gemachtyou had done |
| sie/Sie | hatten gemachtthey had done |
Futur I
will do
| ich | werde machenI will do |
|---|---|
| du | wirst machenyou will do |
| er/sie/es | wird machenhe/she will do |
| wir | werden machenwe will do |
| ihr | werdet machenyou will do |
| sie/Sie | werden machenthey will do |
Imperativ
telling someone to do it
| du | Mach! |
|---|---|
| ihr | Macht! |
| Sie | Machen Sie! |
machen in use
- A1
Was machst du heute?
What are you doing today?
- A1
Ich mache einen Kuchen.
I'm making a cake.
- A1
Hast du die Hausaufgaben gemacht?
Have you done your homework?
- A2
Das macht nichts.
It doesn't matter.
Phrases
- Das macht nichts.Never mind.
- Mach's gut!Take care!
Good to know
- machen = do AND make.
- Das macht 10 Euro. = That's 10 euros.
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 machen with haben or sein in the Perfekt?
machen takes haben. For example: habe gemacht.
What is the past tense of machen?
Präteritum: machte. Perfekt: habe gemacht.
Is machen a regular verb?
Yes, it's regular (weak).