paddeln — German conjugation
to paddle (propel a canoe)
Indicative
Present (Präsens) Regular
Präsens is the default present for facts, habits, and near-future plans. German has no continuous aspect in the same way as English, so a single form often covers both “I work” and “I am working” when you add a time adverb or context.
Ich arbeite heute im Homeoffice.
| Pronoun | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| ich | paddele | I paddle |
| du | paddelst | you paddle |
| er/sie/es | paddelt | he/she/it paddles |
| wir | paddeln | we paddle |
| ihr | paddelt | you (pl.) paddle |
| sie/Sie | paddeln | they paddle |
Simple past (Präteritum) Regular
Präteritum is a narrative past, common in print and in northern speech, while southern speakers lean on the perfect in conversation. sein and haben keep their Präteritum even when you otherwise avoid the preterite.
Er war müde, aber er hatte keinen Kaffee mehr.
| Pronoun | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| ich | paddelte | I paddled |
| du | paddeltest | you paddled |
| er/sie/es | paddelte | he/she/it paddled |
| wir | paddelten | we paddled |
| ihr | paddeltet | you (pl.) paddled |
| sie/Sie | paddelten | they paddled |
Present perfect (Perfekt) Regular
The Perfekt is the everyday past for finished events: auxiliary haben or sein plus participle, with sein for most motion, coming/going, and some change-of-state verbs.
Wir sind rechtzeitig angekommen und haben gefeiert.
| Pronoun | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| ich | bin gepaddelt | I have paddled |
| du | bist gepaddelt | you have paddled |
| er/sie/es | ist gepaddelt | he/she/it has paddled |
| wir | sind gepaddelt | we have paddled |
| ihr | seid gepaddelt | you (pl.) have paddled |
| sie/Sie | sind gepaddelt | they have paddled |
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) Regular
The Plusquamperfekt is the pluperfect: it marks what had already completed before a later past episode in the same narrative.
Sie war schon gegangen, bevor er ankam.
| Pronoun | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| ich | war gepaddelt | I had paddled |
| du | warst gepaddelt | you had paddled |
| er/sie/es | war gepaddelt | he/she/it had paddled |
| wir | waren gepaddelt | we had paddled |
| ihr | wart gepaddelt | you (pl.) had paddled |
| sie/Sie | waren gepaddelt | they had paddled |
Future I (Futur I) Regular
Futur I is for predictions, firm promises, and also probability about the present in colloquial German. Everyday speech very often uses Präsens plus a time expression instead.
Morgen schneit es, sagt der Wetterbericht.
| Pronoun | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| ich | werde paddeln | I will paddle |
| du | wirst paddeln | you will paddle |
| er/sie/es | wird paddeln | he/she/it will paddle |
| wir | werden paddeln | we will paddle |
| ihr | werdet paddeln | you (pl.) will paddle |
| sie/Sie | werden paddeln | they will paddle |
Future II (Futur II) Regular
Futur II (werden + participle + haben/sein) names an action that will be completed before a later time, and can also express a guess that something must already have happened.
Bis Freitag werde ich alles gepackt haben.
| Pronoun | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| ich | werde gepaddelt sein | I will have paddled |
| du | wirst gepaddelt sein | you will have paddled |
| er/sie/es | wird gepaddelt sein | he/she/it will have paddled |
| wir | werden gepaddelt sein | we will have paddled |
| ihr | werdet gepaddelt sein | you (pl.) will have paddled |
| sie/Sie | werden gepaddelt sein | they will have paddled |
Subjunctive
Subjunctive II (Konjunktiv II) Regular
Konjunktiv II is the mood for politeness, contrary-to-fact if-clauses, and reported views. In speech, würde + infinitive often stands in for rarer preterit-based forms.
Könnten Sie mir bitte helfen?
| Pronoun | German |
|---|---|
| ich | paddelte |
| du | paddeltest |
| er/sie/es | paddelte |
| wir | paddelten |
| ihr | paddeltet |
| sie/Sie | paddelten |
Other forms
Imperative (Imperativ) Regular
The imperative uses the du, ihr, and Sie forms of command; the informal du form drops the -st of the present for many strong verbs, and separable-prefix verbs place the prefix at the end.
Mach bitte schnell, der Zug fährt gleich ab.
| Pronoun | German |
|---|---|
| du | paddele |
| ihr | paddelt |