dürfen present tense conjugation
Dürfen (to be allowed to, may) in the present tense: darf, darfst, darf, dürfen, dürft, dürfen.
Präsens Present
| ich | regular: dürfe |
|---|---|
| du | regular: dürfst |
| er/sie/es | regular: dürft |
| wir | |
| ihr | |
| sie/Sie |
ending regular · irr breaks the pattern · tap a form to hear it
When to use the present tense
The Präsens covers “I do” and “I am doing” and is very often used for the future when a time word makes it clear: “Morgen fahre ich nach Berlin.”
How it is formed
Regular endings on the stem: e, st, t, en, t, en. Many strong verbs change their stem vowel in the du and er/sie/es forms (fahren → fährst, sehen → siehst).
Dürfen is irregular here. 3 of 6 forms break the pattern (dark tiles above); the regular pattern would give dürfe, dürfst, dürft.
Dürfen in a sentence
- Ich darf heute ausgehen.I am allowed to go out today.
- Er durfte nicht mitkommen.He wasn't allowed to come along.
Modal verb; ich/er darf (irregular), negative often means 'must not'.
FAQ
What is the present tense of dürfen?
Dürfen in the German present tense: ich darf, du darfst, er/sie/es darf, wir dürfen, ihr dürft, sie/Sie dürfen.
Is dürfen irregular in the present tense?
Yes. 3 of 6 forms break the regular pattern: ich darf (regular would be dürfe); du darfst (regular would be dürfst); er/sie/es darf (regular would be dürft).
When do you use the German present tense?
The Präsens covers “I do” and “I am doing” and is very often used for the future when a time word makes it clear: “Morgen fahre ich nach Berlin.”
How is the present tense formed?
Regular endings on the stem: e, st, t, en, t, en. Many strong verbs change their stem vowel in the du and er/sie/es forms (fahren → fährst, sehen → siehst).
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