Good to know. Irregular (strong) verb: the stem changes. Learn the key forms together and the rest follows.
wissen 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 | weißI know |
|---|---|
| du | weißtyou know |
| er/sie/es | weißhe/she knows |
| wir | wissenwe know |
| ihr | wisstyou know |
| sie/Sie | wissenthey know |
Präteritum
past, mostly written
| ich | wussteI knew |
|---|---|
| du | wusstestyou knew |
| er/sie/es | wusstehe/she knew |
| wir | wusstenwe knew |
| ihr | wusstetyou knew |
| sie/Sie | wusstenthey knew |
Perfekt
past, spoken, with haben
| ich | habe gewusstI have known |
|---|---|
| du | hast gewusstyou have known |
| er/sie/es | hat gewussthe/she has known |
| wir | haben gewusstwe have known |
| ihr | habt gewusstyou have known |
| sie/Sie | haben gewusstthey have known |
Plusquamperfekt
had done
| ich | hatte gewusstI had known |
|---|---|
| du | hattest gewusstyou had known |
| er/sie/es | hatte gewussthe/she had known |
| wir | hatten gewusstwe had known |
| ihr | hattet gewusstyou had known |
| sie/Sie | hatten gewusstthey had known |
Futur I
will do
| ich | werde wissenI will know |
|---|---|
| du | wirst wissenyou will know |
| er/sie/es | wird wissenhe/she will know |
| wir | werden wissenwe will know |
| ihr | werdet wissenyou will know |
| sie/Sie | werden wissenthey will know |
wissen in use
- A1
Ich weiß es nicht.
I don't know.
- A1
Weißt du, wo der Bahnhof ist?
Do you know where the station is?
- A2
Das wusste ich nicht.
I didn't know that.
Phrases
- Ich weiß nicht.I don't know.
Good to know
- wissen = know a fact; kennen = know a person or place.
- Irregular: ich weiß, er weiß.
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 wissen with haben or sein in the Perfekt?
wissen takes haben. For example: habe gewusst.
What is the past tense of wissen?
Präteritum: wusste. Perfekt: habe gewusst.
Is wissen a regular verb?
No, it's irregular (strong): the stem changes.