Good to know. Perfekt with sein: verbs of moving from A to B or changing state (gehen, fahren, kommen, werden) use sein, not haben.
sein 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 | binI am |
|---|---|
| du | bistyou are |
| er/sie/es | isthe/she is |
| wir | sindwe are |
| ihr | seidyou are |
| sie/Sie | sindthey are |
Präteritum
past, mostly written
| ich | warI was |
|---|---|
| du | warstyou were |
| er/sie/es | warhe/she was |
| wir | warenwe were |
| ihr | wartyou were |
| sie/Sie | warenthey were |
Perfekt
past, spoken, with sein
| ich | bin gewesenI have been |
|---|---|
| du | bist gewesenyou have been |
| er/sie/es | ist gewesenhe/she has been |
| wir | sind gewesenwe have been |
| ihr | seid gewesenyou have been |
| sie/Sie | sind gewesenthey have been |
Plusquamperfekt
had done
| ich | war gewesenI had been |
|---|---|
| du | warst gewesenyou had been |
| er/sie/es | war gewesenhe/she had been |
| wir | waren gewesenwe had been |
| ihr | wart gewesenyou had been |
| sie/Sie | waren gewesenthey had been |
Futur I
will do
| ich | werde seinI will be |
|---|---|
| du | wirst seinyou will be |
| er/sie/es | wird seinhe/she will be |
| wir | werden seinwe will be |
| ihr | werdet seinyou will be |
| sie/Sie | werden seinthey will be |
Imperativ
telling someone to do it
| du | Sei! |
|---|---|
| ihr | Seid! |
| Sie | Seien Sie! |
sein in use
- A1
Ich bin Lehrerin.
I'm a teacher.
- A1
Wo bist du?
Where are you?
- A1
Wir sind nach Hause gegangen.
We went home.
sein + participle (movement verbs) = Perfekt
- A1
Gestern war ich krank.
I was ill yesterday.
Phrases
- Sei vorsichtig!Be careful!
Good to know
- Totally irregular: bin, bist, ist, sind, seid, sind.
- Past: war (more common than 'bin gewesen').
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 sein with haben or sein in the Perfekt?
sein takes sein. For example: bin gewesen.
What is the past tense of sein?
Präteritum: war. Perfekt: bin gewesen.
Is sein a regular verb?
No, it's irregular (strong): the stem changes.