denken simple past (Präteritum) conjugation
Denken (to think) in the simple past (Präteritum): dachte, dachtest, dachte, dachten, dachtet, dachten.
Präteritum Simple past
| ich | regular: denkte |
|---|---|
| du | regular: denktest |
| er/sie/es | regular: denkte |
| wir | regular: denkten |
| ihr | regular: denktet |
| sie/Sie | regular: denkten |
ending regular · irr breaks the pattern · tap a form to hear it
When to use the simple past (Präteritum)
The Präteritum is the past tense of written narrative. In speech it is used mainly for sein, haben, werden and the modal verbs; other verbs usually take the Perfekt.
How it is formed
Weak verbs add te, test, te, ten, tet, ten to the stem (machte). Strong verbs change the stem vowel and take no ending in ich and er/sie/es (ging, sah, kam).
Denken is irregular here. 6 of 6 forms break the pattern (dark tiles above); the regular pattern would give denkte, denktest, denkte, denkten, denktet, denkten.
Read more: German past tense: Perfekt vs Präteritum
Denken in a sentence
- Ich denke oft an dich.I often think of you.
- Er hat lange nachgedacht.He thought for a long time.
Irregular Präteritum/Partizip: dachte, gedacht; used with 'an' + accusative.
FAQ
What is the simple past (Präteritum) of denken?
Denken in the German simple past (Präteritum): ich dachte, du dachtest, er/sie/es dachte, wir dachten, ihr dachtet, sie/Sie dachten.
Is denken irregular in the simple past (Präteritum)?
Yes. 6 of 6 forms break the regular pattern: ich dachte (regular would be denkte); du dachtest (regular would be denktest); er/sie/es dachte (regular would be denkte); wir dachten (regular would be denkten); ihr dachtet (regular would be denktet); sie/Sie dachten (regular would be denkten).
When do you use the German simple past (Präteritum)?
The Präteritum is the past tense of written narrative. In speech it is used mainly for sein, haben, werden and the modal verbs; other verbs usually take the Perfekt.
How is the simple past (Präteritum) formed?
Weak verbs add te, test, te, ten, tet, ten to the stem (machte). Strong verbs change the stem vowel and take no ending in ich and er/sie/es (ging, sah, kam).
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