The irregular verb "lesen" in German
Meaning of "lesen" in German
The verb "lesen" means:
to read
Ich lese gern Bücher
I like to read books
Liest du gerade ein Buch?
Are you reading a book?
In der Schule werden wir bald Gedichte lesen
We will soon read poems at school
Structure: lesen + [accusative] (what is read)
Grammar of "lesen"
"lesen" is an irregular verb.
| Verb | 3rd Person | Präteritum | Partizip II | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| lesen | liest | las | gelesen | to read |
Main article: Irregular verbs
Conjugation of "lesen"
Present simple (Präsens Indikativ)
| Conjugation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ich lese | I read |
| du liest | you read |
| er liest | he reads |
| wir lesen | we read |
| ihr lest | you read |
| sie lesen | they read |
Welchen Roman liest du im Moment?
What novel are you reading right now?
Ich lese gerade „Die Blechtrommel“ von Günther Grass
I’m reading "The Tin Drum" by Günther Grass
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Conjugation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ich habe gelesen | I have read |
| du hast gelesen | you have read |
| er hat gelesen | he has read |
| wir haben gelesen | we have read |
| ihr habt gelesen | you have read |
| sie haben gelesen | they have read |
Ich habe in der Zeitung gelesen, dass es heute regnen soll
I read in the paper that it’s supposed to rain today
Simple past (Präteritum)
| Conjugation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ich las | I read |
| du last | you read |
| er las | he read |
| wir lasen | we read |
| ihr last | you read |
| sie lasen | they read |
Subjunctive II (Konjunktiv II)
| Conjugation |
|---|
| ich läse |
| du läsest |
| er läse |
| wir läsen |
| ihr läset |
| sie läsen |
Participle (Partizip)
| Partizip I | Partizip II |
|---|---|
| lesend (reading) | gelesen (read) |
Imperative (Imperativ)
| Person | Conjugation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd person singular | lies | read |
| 2nd person plural | lest | read |
| Polite form | lesen Sie | read |
Verbs with the stem "lesen"
| Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| durchlesen | to skim/read through (separable verb) |
| nachlesen | to reread (separable verb) |
| vorlesen | to read aloud (inseparable verb) |
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