lernen simple past (Präteritum) conjugation
Lernen (to learn) in the simple past (Präteritum): lernte, lerntest, lernte, lernten, lerntet, lernten.
Präteritum Simple past
| ich | |
|---|---|
| du | |
| er/sie/es | |
| wir | |
| ihr | |
| sie/Sie |
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).
Lernen is regular here, so it is a good model for other verbs of the same class.
Read more: German past tense: Perfekt vs Präteritum
Lernen in a sentence
- Ich lerne Deutsch.I am learning German.
- Er hat für die Prüfung gelernt.He studied for the exam.
Regular verb; distinct from 'studieren' (to study at university).
FAQ
What is the simple past (Präteritum) of lernen?
Lernen in the German simple past (Präteritum): ich lernte, du lerntest, er/sie/es lernte, wir lernten, ihr lerntet, sie/Sie lernten.
Is lernen irregular in the simple past (Präteritum)?
No. In the simple past (Präteritum) lernen takes the regular endings for its verb class, so lernte follows the same pattern as any regular verb.
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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