Good to know. Irregular (strong) verb: the stem changes. Learn the key forms together and the rest follows.
riechen 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 | riecheI smell |
|---|---|
| du | riechstyou smell |
| er/sie/es | riechthe/she smells |
| wir | riechenwe smell |
| ihr | riechtyou smell |
| sie/Sie | riechenthey smell |
Präteritum
past, mostly written
| ich | rochI smelled |
|---|---|
| du | rochstyou smelled |
| er/sie/es | rochhe/she smelled |
| wir | rochenwe smelled |
| ihr | rochtyou smelled |
| sie/Sie | rochenthey smelled |
Perfekt
past, spoken, with haben
| ich | habe gerochenI have smelled |
|---|---|
| du | hast gerochenyou have smelled |
| er/sie/es | hat gerochenhe/she has smelled |
| wir | haben gerochenwe have smelled |
| ihr | habt gerochenyou have smelled |
| sie/Sie | haben gerochenthey have smelled |
Plusquamperfekt
had done
| ich | hatte gerochenI had smelled |
|---|---|
| du | hattest gerochenyou had smelled |
| er/sie/es | hatte gerochenhe/she had smelled |
| wir | hatten gerochenwe had smelled |
| ihr | hattet gerochenyou had smelled |
| sie/Sie | hatten gerochenthey had smelled |
Futur I
will do
| ich | werde riechenI will smell |
|---|---|
| du | wirst riechenyou will smell |
| er/sie/es | wird riechenhe/she will smell |
| wir | werden riechenwe will smell |
| ihr | werdet riechenyou will smell |
| sie/Sie | werden riechenthey will smell |
Imperativ
telling someone to do it
| du | Riech! |
|---|---|
| ihr | Riecht! |
| Sie | Riechen Sie! |
riechen in use
- A1
Das riecht gut!
That smells good!
- A1
Riechst du das?
Can you smell that?
- B1
Es roch nach frischem Brot.
It smelled of fresh bread.
riechen nach + Dativ
Good to know
- riechen nach + Dativ = to smell of.
- Irregular: roch, gerochen.
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 riechen with haben or sein in the Perfekt?
riechen takes haben. For example: habe gerochen.
What is the past tense of riechen?
Präteritum: roch. Perfekt: habe gerochen.
Is riechen a regular verb?
No, it's irregular (strong): the stem changes.