German Verb Conjugation of Sprechen (To Speak)

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Table of Contents

Present Tense - Präsens
Compound Past Tense (Present Perfect) - Perfekt
Past Perfect Tense - Plusquamperfekt
Future Tense - Futur
Future Perfect Tense - Futur II
Commands - Imperativ
Subjunctive I - Konjunktiv I
Subjunctive II - Konjunktiv II

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Updated on February 24, 2020

The German verb sprechen means to speak or to talk. It is an irregular (strong) verb and a stem-changing verb. Notice the change from e to i in the du and er/sie/es present tense forms. The past participle is gesprochen.

Principal Parts: sprechen (spricht) sprach gesprochen
Imperative (Commands): (du) Sprich! | (ihr) Sprecht! | Sprechen Sie!

Sprechen - Present Tense - Präsens

Deutsch	English
ich spreche	I speak/am speaking
du sprichst	you speak/are speaking
er spricht sie spricht es spricht	he speaks/is speaking she speaks/is speaking it speaks/is speaking
wir sprechen	we speak/are speaking
ihr sprecht	you (guys) speak/ are speaking
sie sprechen	they speak/are speaking
Sie sprechen	you speak/are speaking

Examples:
Sprechen Sie Deutsch?
Do you speak German?
Er spricht sehr schnell.
He talks very fast.

Sprechen - Simple Past Tense - Imperfekt

Deutsch	English
ich sprach	I spoke
du sprachst	you spoke
er sprach sie sprach es sprach	he spoke she spoke it spoke
wir sprachen	we spoke
ihr spracht	you (guys) spoke
sie sprachen	they spoke
Sie sprachen	you spoke

Sprechen - Compound Past Tense (Present Perfect) - Perfekt

Deutsch	English
ich habe gesprochen	I spoke/have spoken
du hast gesprochen	you spoke/have spoken
er hat gesprochen sie hat gesprochen es hat gesprochen	he spoke/has spoken she spoke/has spoken it spoke/has spoken
wir haben gesprochen	we spoke/have spoken
ihr habt gesprochen	you (guys) spoke have spoken
sie haben gesprochen	they spoke/have spoken
Sie haben gesprochen	you spoke/have spoken

Sprechen - Past Perfect Tense - Plusquamperfekt

Deutsch	English
ich hatte gesprochen	I had spoken
du hattest gesprochen	you had spoken
er hatte gesprochen sie hatte gesprochen es hatte gesprochen	he had spoken she had spoken it had spoken
wir hatten gesprochen	we had spoken
ihr hattet gesprochen	you (guys) had spoken
sie hatten gesprochen	they had spoken
Sie hatten gesprochen	you had spoken

Sprechen - Future Tense - Futur

The future tense is used much less in German than in English. Very often the present tense is used with an adverb instead, as with the present progressive in English: Er ruft morgen an. = He's going to call tomorrow.

Deutsch	English
ich werde sprechen	I will speak
du wirst sprechen	you will speak
er wird sprechen sie wird sprechen es wird sprechen	he will speak she will speak it will speak
wir werden sprechen	we will speak
ihr werdet sprechen	you (guys) will speak
sie werden sprechen	they will speak
Sie werden sprechen	you will speak

Sprechen - Future Perfect Tense - Futur II

Deutsch	English
ich werde gesprochen haben	I will have spoken
du wirst gesprochen haben	you will have spoken
er wird gesprochen haben sie wird gesprochen haben es wird gesprochen haben	he will have spoken she will have spoken it will have spoken
wir werden gesprochen haben	we will have spoken
ihr werdet gesprochen haben	you (guys) will have spoken
sie werden gesprochen haben	they will have spoken
Sie werden gesprochen haben	you will have spoken

Sprechen - Commands - Imperativ

There are three command (imperative) forms, one for each "you" word. In addition, the "let's" form is used with wir.

Deutsch	English
(du) sprich!	speak
(ihr) sprecht!	speak
sprechen Sie!	speak
sprechen wir!	let's speak

Sprechen - Subjunctive I - Konjunktiv I

The subjunctive is a mood, not a tense. The Subjunctive I (Konjunktiv I) is based on the infinitive form of the verb. It is most often used to express indirect quotation (indirekte Rede). Rare in conversational use, the Subjunctive I is often seen in newspapers, usually in the third person (er spreche, he is said to speak).

*NOTE: Because the Subjunctive I (Konjunktiv I) of "sprechen" in the first person (ich) is identical to the indicative (normal) form, the Subjunctive II is sometimes substituted.

Deutsch	English
ich spreche (würde sprechen)*	I speak
du sprechest	you speak
er spreche sie spreche es spreche	he speaks she speaks it speaks
wir sprechen	we speak
ihr sprechet	you (guys) speak
sie sprechen	they speak
Sie sprechen	you speak

Sprechen - Subjunctive II - Konjunktiv II

The Subjunctive II (Konjunktiv II) expresses wishful thinking, contrary-to-reality situations and is used to express politeness. The Subjunctive II is based on the simple past tense (Imperfekt, sprach), adding an umlaut + e: spräche.

Since the subjunctive is a mood and not a tense, it can be used in various tenses. Below are examples that illustrate how sprechen forms the subjunctive in past or future time. In such cases, the subjunctive forms of haben or werden are combined with sprechen.

Deutsch	English
ich spräche	I would speak
du sprächest	you would speak
er spräche sie spräche es spräche	he would speak she would speak it would speak
wir sprächen	we would speak
ihr sprächet	you (guys) would speak
sie sprächen	they would speak
Sie sprächen	you would speak
Deutsch	English
er habe gesprochen	he is said to have spoken
ich hätte gesprochen	I would have spoken
sie hätten gesprochen	they would have spoken
Deutsch	English
er werde gesprochen haben	he will have spoken
ich würde sprechen	I would speak
du würdest gesprochen haben	you would have spoken

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Flippo, Hyde. "German Verb Conjugation of Sprechen (To Speak)." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/german-verb-conjugations-sprechen-to-speak-4070800. Flippo, Hyde. (2023, April 5). German Verb Conjugation of Sprechen (To Speak). Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/german-verb-conjugations-sprechen-to-speak-4070800 Flippo, Hyde. "German Verb Conjugation of Sprechen (To Speak)." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/german-verb-conjugations-sprechen-to-speak-4070800 (accessed April 16, 2024).