Essen is one of the most common irregular verbs in German. It means “to eat” and is used in everyday conversation. The verb is irregular in the present tense (du isst, er isst), simple past (aß), and past participle (gegessen). We’ll show you how to conjugate it in various tenses, including some examples.
Essen Conjugation Tables
Present Tense (Präsens)
Pronoun
German Singular
German Plural
English Singular
English Plural
ich
esse
essen
I eat
we eat
du
isst
esst
you eat
you all eat
er/sie/es
isst
essen
he/she/it eats
they eat
You eat an apple.
Du isst einen Apfel.
In the present tense, du isst is the correct irregular conjugation of essen (to eat) when 'you' is the subject.
Simple Past (Präteritum)
Pronoun
German Singular
German Plural
English Singular
English Plural
ich
aß
aßen
I ate
we ate
du
aßest
aßt
you ate
you all ate
er/sie/es
aß
aßen
he/she/it ate
they ate
Present Perfect (Perfekt)
Pronoun
German Singular
German Plural
English Singular
English Plural
ich
habe ... gegessen
haben ... gegessen
I have eaten
we have eaten
du
hast ... gegessen
habt ... gegessen
you have eaten
you all have eaten
er/sie/es
hat ... gegessen
haben ... gegessen
he/she/it has eaten
they have eaten
Future Tense (Futur I)
Pronoun
German Singular
German Plural
English Singular
English Plural
ich
werde essen
werden essen
I will eat
we will eat
du
wirst essen
werdet essen
you will eat
you all will eat
er/sie/es
wird essen
werden essen
he/she/it will eat
they will eat
Essen: Usage Notes
Irregular stem vowels: du and er/sie/es forms use “i” (isst) instead of “e” (esse).
Subject–verb agreement: Always match the verb ending (-e, -st, -t, -en) with the subject pronoun.
Past participle: always “gegessen,” regardless of the subject.
Auxiliary verb: use “haben” for perfect tenses (nicht “sein”).
Context: Essen can be used for meals (Ich esse Frühstück) or snacks (Er isst einen Apfel).
Why do the du and er/sie/es forms of essen use 'isst' instead of 'ess'?
The stem vowel changes to 'i' for clarity and eases pronunciation.
This vowel change is a historical irregular pattern to prevent difficulty in pronunciation and clarify verb forms.
Essen: Example Sentences
Present Tense (Präsens)
German
English
Ich esse gern Brot.
I like to eat bread.
Du isst einen Apfel.
You are eating an apple.
Wir essen zusammen.
We eat together.
You eat an apple.
Du isst einen Apfel.
In the present tense, du isst is the correct irregular conjugation of essen (to eat) when 'you' is the subject.
Simple Past (Präteritum)
German
English
Ich aß Pizza.
I ate pizza.
Sie aßen Salat.
They ate salad.
Du aßest zu viel.
You ate too much.
Present Perfect (Perfekt)
German
English
Ich habe gegessen.
I have eaten.
Wir haben viel gegessen.
We ate a lot.
Hast du schon gegessen?
Have you eaten yet?
Future Tense (Futur I)
German
English
Ich werde essen.
I will eat.
Wir werden bald essen.
We will eat soon.
Wirst du mitessen?
Will you eat along?
More Examples — Using Essen in Questions
German
English
Was isst du heute?
What are you eating today?
Isst du vegetarisch?
Do you eat vegetarian?
Wem gibst du das Essen?
To whom are you giving the food?
Was hast du gegessen?
What did you eat?
Wann wirst du essen?
When will you eat?
Warum isst er nicht?
Why isn’t he eating?
More Examples — Using Essen in Subordinate Clauses
German
English
Ich weiß, dass du isst.
I know that you are eating.
Sie glaubt, er hat gegessen.
She believes he has eaten.
Wir hoffen, dass ihr bald esst.
We hope you all eat soon.
More Examples — Idiomatic Expressions with Essen
German
English
Das isst sich gut.
That goes down well.
Das Essen ist fertig.
The food is ready.
Guten Appetit!
Enjoy your meal!
Summary
Essen is an irregular German verb meaning “to eat.” Its stem vowel changes in the du and er/sie/es forms in the present tense (isst), while the past forms use aß and the past participle is gegessen. It’s used with the auxiliary haben in perfect tenses and appears in simple statements, questions, and even idiomatic expressions.
