Conjugations › German › arbeiten

arbeiten

to work

German Regular
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The German verb "arbeiten" means "to work" in English. It is a regular verb. Below you'll find the complete conjugation tables for "arbeiten" across all 7 tenses.

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Present Simple Past Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Subjunctive I Subjunctive II

How to Conjugate "arbeiten" in the Present Tense

Präsens Actions happening now or regularly
Person English Conjugation
ich I arbeite
du you (informal) arbeitest
er/sie/es he/she/it arbeitet
wir we arbeiten
ihr you all (informal) arbeitet
sie/Sie they/you (formal) arbeiten
Er arbeitet bei einer großen Firma.
He works at a big company.

How to Conjugate "arbeiten" in the Simple Past Tense

Präteritum Completed actions in the past (written/formal)
Person English Conjugation
ich I arbeitete
du you (informal) arbeitetest
er/sie/es he/she/it arbeitete
wir we arbeiteten
ihr you all (informal) arbeitetet
sie/Sie they/you (formal) arbeiteten
Er arbeitete früher bei einer Bank.
He used to work at a bank.

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How to Conjugate "arbeiten" in the Present Perfect Tense

Perfekt Completed actions (spoken German)
Person English Conjugation
ich I habe gearbeitet
du you (informal) hast gearbeitet
er/sie/es he/she/it hat gearbeitet
wir we haben gearbeitet
ihr you all (informal) habt gearbeitet
sie/Sie they/you (formal) haben gearbeitet
Er hat im Büro gearbeitet.
He worked in the office.

How to Conjugate "arbeiten" in the Past Perfect Tense

Plusquamperfekt Actions completed before another past action
Person English Conjugation
ich I hatte gearbeitet
du you (informal) hattest gearbeitet
er/sie/es he/she/it hatte gearbeitet
wir we hatten gearbeitet
ihr you all (informal) hattet gearbeitet
sie/Sie they/you (formal) hatten gearbeitet
Er hatte im Büro gearbeitet.
He had worked in the office.

How to Conjugate "arbeiten" in the Future Tense

Futur I Actions that will happen
Person English Conjugation
ich I werde arbeiten
du you (informal) wirst arbeiten
er/sie/es he/she/it wird arbeiten
wir we werden arbeiten
ihr you all (informal) werdet arbeiten
sie/Sie they/you (formal) werden arbeiten
Er wird im Büro arbeiten.
He will work in the office.

How to Conjugate "arbeiten" in the Subjunctive I Tense

Konjunktiv I Indirect speech and formal requests
Person English Conjugation
ich I arbeite
du you (informal) arbeitest
er/sie/es he/she/it arbeite
wir we arbeiten
ihr you all (informal) arbeitet
sie/Sie they/you (formal) arbeiten
Er sagt, er arbeite im Büro.
He says he works in the office.

How to Conjugate "arbeiten" in the Subjunctive II Tense

Konjunktiv II Hypothetical situations and polite requests
Person English Conjugation
ich I arbeitete
du you (informal) arbeitetest
er/sie/es he/she/it arbeitete
wir we arbeiteten
ihr you all (informal) arbeitetet
sie/Sie they/you (formal) arbeiteten
Er arbeitete gern im Garten.
He would like to work in the garden.
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Frequently Asked Questions About "arbeiten"

Is "arbeiten" regular or irregular in German?
"Arbeiten" is a regular German verb that follows standard conjugation patterns for its verb group.
What does "arbeiten" mean in English?
The German verb "arbeiten" means "to work" in English.
How do you conjugate "arbeiten" in the present tense?
In the present tense (Präsens): ich → arbeite, du → arbeitest, er/sie/es → arbeitet, wir → arbeiten, ihr → arbeitet, sie/Sie → arbeiten.
How many tenses does "arbeiten" have in German?
"Arbeiten" is conjugated across 7 tenses in German: Present, Simple Past, Present Perfect, Past Perfect, Future, Subjunctive I, Subjunctive II.

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