Master the German ‘lesen’ conjugation: Present, past, future and more

Lesen, the German verb meaning “to read,” is one of the words you’ll encounter early in your German learning journey. It appears in all kinds of contexts, from libraries to workplaces to public offices. These are all situations in which you might be asked to read something, like instructions or a book.

But the lesen conjugation can be tricky, especially if you’re not yet familiar with irregular verbs. In the present tense, some forms of lesen undergo a stem change from e to ie. It’s highly irregular in several other tenses, too.

Still, it’s worth mastering. Learning and reviewing lesen regularly will help you better understand integration documents and align your language skills with your job or study goals.

• Overview of all the tenses of the lesen conjugation
• Present tense (Präsens)
• Past tenses: Präteritum, Perfekt and Plusquamperfekt
• Future tenses
• Other forms and moods
• FAQs

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Overview of all the tenses of the ‘lesen’ conjugation

The following tables show the full lesen verb conjugation. Use them as a reference as you practice each tense.

Present tense (‘Präsens’)

Conjugation and stem change

Subject	Präsens
ich	lese
du	liest
er/sie/es	liest
wir	lesen
ihr	lest
sie/Sie	lesen

As you can see in the table above, the e changes to ie in the second- and third-person singular forms. This is because lesen is an irregular verb — more specifically, one that’s classified as a strong verb in German grammar.

Strong verbs don’t obey regular conjugation rules and must therefore be memorized individually. However, over time, you’ll start to notice that many of these irregularities follow specific and recurring patterns, making them easier to recognize and learn.

When to use it

The German present tense is used in a wide range of situations, often broader than in English. It covers:

• Static facts: Ich lese gern. (I like reading.)
• Ongoing actions: Ich lese gerade ein Buch. (I’m reading a book right now.)
• Habits and routines: Ich lese jeden Tag. (I read every day.)

In German, the Präsens is used in the same situations where you’d use, in English, the simple present and the present continuous. Context and adverbs help clarify the meaning.

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Past tenses: ‘Präteritum’, ‘Perfekt’ and ‘Plusquamperfekt’

Simple past (‘Präteritum’)

Subject	Präteritum
ich	las
du	lasest
er/sie/es	las
wir	lasen
ihr	last
sie/Sie	lasen

Present perfect (‘Perfekt’)

Subject	Perfekt
ich	habe gelesen
du	hast gelesen
er/sie/es	hat gelesen
wir	haben gelesen
ihr	habt gelesen
sie/Sie	haben gelesen

Compare and choose

Both the Präteritum and the Perfekt forms are important to learn when studying the lesen conjugation in German, as they describe past actions. The difference lies in their usage and context.

The Perfekt form is used most often in spoken German, especially in everyday conversations and informal writing:

• Ich habe die Zeitung gelesen. (I read the newspaper.)

The Präteritum form is used in spoken German mainly for modal verbs (like können and müssen) and auxiliary verbs (sein, haben, werden, etc.). For most other verbs, the Präteritum appears primarily in written German, especially in formal or literary texts:

• Sie las jeden Abend am Kamin. (She read by the fireplace every evening.)

Pluperfect (‘Plusquamperfekt’)

The Plusquamperfekt is used to describe actions that happened sequentially prior to another action in the past. It's often combined with the Präteritum or the Perfekt to show the relationship between a past action and its consequence:

• Ich hatte das Buch gelesen, weil mir langweilig war. (I had read the book because I was bored.)
• Ich hatte die Anweisungen gelesen, deswegen habe ich keine Fehler gemacht. (I had read the instructions, so I didn’t make any mistakes.)

Future tenses

‘Futur I’

Subject	Futur I
ich	werde lesen
du	wirst lesen
er/sie/es	wird lesen
wir	werden lesen
ihr	werdet lesen
sie/Sie	werden lesen

In German, the Futur I is used not only to talk about the future, but also to make assumptions about the present:

• Du wirst den Artikel heute Abend lesen. (You will read the article tonight.)
• Sie wird wohl die Anleitung lesen. (She is probably reading the instructions.)

In everyday conversations, the present tense is usually preferred over the Futur I.

‘Futur II’

Subject	Futur II
ich	werde gelesen haben
du	wirst gelesen haben
er/sie/es	wird gelesen haben
wir	werden gelesen haben
ihr	werdet gelesen haben
sie/Sie	werden gelesen haben

The Futur II expresses actions that will have been completed in the future or assumptions about past events:

• Bis morgen werde ich Goethes Faust gelesen haben. (By tomorrow, I will have read Goethe’s Faust.)
• Ihr werdet die Unterlagen schon gelesen haben. (You have probably already read the documents.)

Other forms and moods

Imperative (Command) 

Imperativ	Subject
lies	(du)
lesen	wir
lest	(ihr)
lesen	Sie

The Imperativ is used to give commands, make suggestions or extend invitations. It’s often softened with the word bitte to make the request more polite:

• Lesen Sie bitte die Bedingungen im Vertrag. (Please read the terms in the contract.)
• Lies die E-Mail sofort! (Read the email immediately!)

Subjunctive I and II (‘Konjunktiv’)

Subject	Konjunktiv I	Konjunktiv II
ich	lese	läse
du	lesest	läsest
er/sie/es	lese	läse
wir	lesen	läsen
ihr	leset	läset
sie/Sie	lesen	läsen

German has two subjunctive moods. 

The Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech. The speaker quotes another speaker without judging or confirming their statement, maintaining a neutral stance. This mood is typical in TV news and newspapers:

• Er meint, er lese die Nachrichten im Internet. (He says he reads the news online.)

The Konjunktiv II expresses conditions, wishes, polite requests or hypothetical situations. Many verbs, such as lesen, have a simple Konjunktiv II form, but it often sounds formal or old-fashioned. Therefore, the construction würde + infinitive is commonly used in everyday speech:

• Ich würde den alten Brief lesen, aber der Text ist nicht mehr lesbar. (I would read the old letter, but the text is no longer legible.)

Participles and infinitives

The Infinitiv plays a central role in German grammar. It is the base form of a verb and is used with modal verbs, with werden to form Futur I, or with würde to form the Konjunktiv II. The Infinitiv with zu functions similarly to the English “to + verb” construction.

The Partizip I often acts as a adjective with an active meaning, describing someone or something performing an action:

• Das lesende Kind. (The child who is reading.)

The Partizip II is used to form compound tenses such as the Perfekt and Plusquamperfekt. It can also be used to form the passive voice and as an adjective with a passive meaning, describing something that has undergone an action:

• Das gelesene Buch. (The book that has been read.)

What is the perfect tense of lesen?

The perfect tense of lesen is used to describe past actions in spoken German. It’s formed with the auxiliary verb haben in the present tense, plus the past participle gelesen.

Is lesen an irregular/strong verb?

Yes, lesen is irregular and belongs to the category of strong verbs. Its stem vowel changes in the present and past tenses, e.g., du liest or ich las.

When should I use Perfekt vs. Präteritum with lesen?

Use the Perfekt to describe past actions in spoken German, especially in everyday conversations or informal writing. Use the Präteritum to describe past actions in written German, particularly in formal or literary texts.

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Final thoughts on mastering the ‘lesen’ conjugation

Mastering the lesen conjugation is an important step for anyone learning German. 

Lesen is an irregular verb, but since it comes up so often in everyday life, getting comfortable with it early makes daily conversations much easier.

Don’t forget: the stem vowel changes in both the present and past, so practice all tenses by creating your own tables and using them in sentences and real-life situations. Include modal verbs to become familiar with infinitive constructions, too.If you want to learn German effectively, Lingoda can help. Our small group classes offer the perfect opportunity to practice real-life language with native-level teachers.

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