Conjugations › German › essen

essen

to eat

German Irregular
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The German verb "essen" means "to eat" in English. It is an irregular verb. Below you'll find the complete conjugation tables for "essen" across all 7 tenses.

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

How to Conjugate "essen" in the Present Tense

Präsens Actions happening now or regularly
Person English Conjugation
ich I esse
du you (informal) isst
er/sie/es he/she/it isst
wir we essen
ihr you all (informal) esst
sie/Sie they/you (formal) essen
Er isst einen Apfel zum Frühstück.
He is eating an apple for breakfast.

How to Conjugate "essen" in the Simple Past Tense

Präteritum Completed actions in the past (written/formal)
Person English Conjugation
ich I aß
du you (informal) aßt
er/sie/es he/she/it aß
wir we aßen
ihr you all (informal) aßt
sie/Sie they/you (formal) aßen
Er aß eine Pizza im Restaurant.
He ate a pizza in the restaurant.

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How to Conjugate "essen" in the Present Perfect Tense

Perfekt Completed actions (spoken German)
Person English Conjugation
ich I habe gegessen
du you (informal) hast gegessen
er/sie/es he/she/it hat gegessen
wir we haben gegessen
ihr you all (informal) habt gegessen
sie/Sie they/you (formal) haben gegessen
Er hat Brot gegessen.
He has eaten bread.

How to Conjugate "essen" in the Past Perfect Tense

Plusquamperfekt Actions completed before another past action
Person English Conjugation
ich I hatte gegessen
du you (informal) hattest gegessen
er/sie/es he/she/it hatte gegessen
wir we hatten gegessen
ihr you all (informal) hattet gegessen
sie/Sie they/you (formal) hatten gegessen
Er hatte den Fisch gegessen.
He had eaten the fish.

How to Conjugate "essen" in the Future Tense

Futur I Actions that will happen
Person English Conjugation
ich I werde essen
du you (informal) wirst essen
er/sie/es he/she/it wird essen
wir we werden essen
ihr you all (informal) werdet essen
sie/Sie they/you (formal) werden essen
Er wird Brot essen.
He will eat bread.

How to Conjugate "essen" in the Subjunctive I Tense

Konjunktiv I Indirect speech and formal requests
Person English Conjugation
ich I esse
du you (informal) essest
er/sie/es he/she/it esse
wir we essen
ihr you all (informal) esset
sie/Sie they/you (formal) essen
Sie sagt, er esse ein Brot.
She says he is eating a bread.

How to Conjugate "essen" in the Subjunctive II Tense

Konjunktiv II Hypothetical situations and polite requests
Person English Conjugation
ich I äße
du you (informal) äßest
er/sie/es he/she/it äße
wir we äßen
ihr you all (informal) äßet
sie/Sie they/you (formal) äßen
Er äße gern ein Brot jetzt.
He would like to eat a bread now.
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Frequently Asked Questions About "essen"

Is "essen" regular or irregular in German?
"Essen" is an irregular German verb, meaning its conjugation does not follow standard patterns and must be memorized individually.
What does "essen" mean in English?
The German verb "essen" means "to eat" in English.
How do you conjugate "essen" in the present tense?
In the present tense (Präsens): ich → esse, du → isst, er/sie/es → isst, wir → essen, ihr → esst, sie/Sie → essen.
How many tenses does "essen" have in German?
"Essen" is conjugated across 7 tenses in German: Present, Simple Past, Present Perfect, Past Perfect, Future, Subjunctive I, Subjunctive II.

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