Meaning and Usage
The verb bringen means to bring. It is used when someone carries or transports something to a place or person. It often implies movement toward the speaker or a specified destination.
Verb Type
bringen is a strong (irregular) verb in German. It is commonly used in everyday language and has an irregular stem change in some of its conjugated forms.
Present Tense Conjugation
The present tense shows actions happening now or regularly. The stem of bringen changes to bring- and has an irregular conjugation for some pronouns.
| German Pronoun | German Conjugation | English Conjugation | German Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ich | bringe | I bring | Ich bringe dir das Buch. | I bring you the book. |
| du | bringst | you bring (sing.) | Du bringst das Essen mit. | You bring the food with you. |
| er/sie/es | bringt | he/she/it brings | Er bringt die Zeitung. | He brings the newspaper. |
| wir | bringen | we bring | Wir bringen Geschenke. | We bring gifts. |
| ihr | bringt | you bring (pl.) | Ihr bringt die Getränke. | You bring the drinks. |
| sie/Sie | bringen | they/you bring | Sie bringen die Koffer. | They bring the suitcases. |
Past Tense Conjugation (Simple Past)
The simple past (Präteritum) tense of bringen is used in written narrative contexts.
| German Pronoun | German Conjugation | English Conjugation | German Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ich | brachte | I brought | Ich brachte das Geschenk. | I brought the gift. |
| du | brachtest | you brought (sing.) | Du brachtest den Hund mit. | You brought the dog along. |
| er/sie/es | brachte | he/she/it brought | Sie brachte die Kinder. | She brought the children. |
| wir | brachten | we brought | Wir brachten die Koffer. | We brought the suitcases. |
| ihr | brachtet | you brought (pl.) | Ihr brachtet die Bücher. | You brought the books. |
| sie/Sie | brachten | they/you brought | Sie brachten den Kuchen. | They brought the cake. |
Perfect Tense
The perfect tense is formed with the auxiliary verb haben and the past participle gebracht, and is commonly used in conversation.
Example:
- Ich habe das Paket gebracht.
- I have brought the package.
Subjunctive Mood
The subjunctive (Konjunktiv II) is often used to express hypothetical situations or polite requests.
Example:
- Wenn ich das Buch brächte, wäre ich glücklich.
- If I brought the book, I would be happy.
Imperative
The imperative form is used to give commands or requests.
- Bring! (du) – Bring!
- Bringt! (ihr) – Bring! (you all)
- Bringen Sie! (Sie) – Bring! (formal)
Additional Notes
- The past participle gebracht is irregular and does not follow the typical pattern for regular verbs.
- bringen can be combined with separable prefixes, but this changes its meaning (e.g., mitbringen = to bring along).
- It is often used with an indirect object, such as the person receiving the item.
Summary Table: Conjugation of bringen
| Tense | ich | du | er/sie/es | wir | ihr | sie/Sie |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | bringe | bringst | bringt | bringen | bringt | bringen |
| Simple Past | brachte | brachtest | brachte | brachten | brachtet | brachten |
| Past Participle | gebracht | - | - | - | - | - |
| Perfect | habe gebracht | hast gebracht | hat gebracht | haben gebracht | habt gebracht | haben gebracht |
