Tragen: Overview
Tragen is a strong (irregular) verb in German. It has two main meanings:
- to wear (clothes, accessories)
- to carry (objects, items)
The verb stem changes from tragen to träg- in some forms. It takes haben as the auxiliary verb for perfect tense.
Which auxiliary verb is used with "tragen" in perfect tense?
haben
'Tragen' always takes the auxiliary verb "haben" in the perfect tense, even when it means “to carry.”
Basic Conjugation Tables
Present Tense
The stem vowel a → ä appears in singular forms 1 and 2:
| Pronoun / Person | German Example | English Example | German Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ich | Ich trage eine Jacke. | I wear a jacket. | Ich trage die Tasche. | I carry the bag. |
| du | Du trägst einen Hut. | You wear a hat. | Du trägst den Koffer. | You carry the suitcase. |
| er/sie/es | Sie trägt eine Brille. | She wears glasses. | Er trägt das Paket. | He carries the package. |
| wir | Wir tragen Schuhe. | We wear shoes. | Wir tragen die Box. | We carry the box. |
| ihr | Ihr tragt Handschuhe. | You (pl.) wear gloves. | Ihr tragt die Bücher. | You (pl.) carry the books. |
| sie/Sie | Sie tragen Uniformen. | They wear uniforms. | Sie tragen die Akten. | You (formal) carry the files. |
Simple Past (Präteritum)
- The stem vowel a → u appears throughout.
- The verb ends with -en in singular and -en in plural forms.
| Pronoun / Person | German Example | English Example | German Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ich | Ich trug eine Jacke. | I wore a jacket. | Ich trug die Tasche. | I carried the bag. |
| du | Du trugst einen Hut. | You wore a hat. | Du trugst den Koffer. | You carried the suitcase. |
| er/sie/es | Sie trug eine Brille. | She wore glasses. | Er trug das Paket. | He carried the package. |
| wir | Wir trugen Schuhe. | We wore shoes. | Wir trugen die Box. | We carried the box. |
| ihr | Ihr trugt Handschuhe. | You (pl.) wore gloves. | Ihr trugt die Bücher. | You (pl.) carried the books. |
| sie/Sie | Sie trugen Uniformen. | They wore uniforms. | Sie trugen die Akten. | You (formal) carried the files. |
Past Participle
- Formed with ge- prefix and -en suffix
- Changes verb stem vowel a → u
- Auxiliary verb: haben
| Form | Example |
|---|---|
| getragen | Ich habe die Tasche getragen. (I have carried the bag.) |
Which pronouns cause the stem vowel change a → ä in present tense tragen?
- du
- er/sie/es
In present tense tragen, the stem vowel changes from a to ä only in du and er/sie/es forms (du trägst, sie trägt). Other forms use the regular stem tragen.
Usage
Wearing Clothing
The most common usage of tragen is to describe what someone is wearing:
- Ich trage eine blaue Jacke. (I’m wearing a blue jacket.)
- Sie trägt einen roten Mantel. (She’s wearing a red coat.)
- Wir tragen moderne Sneakers. (We wear modern sneakers.)
Carrying Objects
Tragen can also mean to physically carry or transport something:
- Er trägt die Einkaufstaschen. (He carries the shopping bags.)
- Kannst du den Koffer tragen? (Can you carry the suitcase?)
- Wir tragen die Möbel ins Haus. (We carry the furniture into the house.)
Figurative Meanings
- Verantwortung tragen — to bear responsibility
- Schuld tragen — to be to blame
- einen Namen tragen — to bear a name
Common Collocations
- eine Brille tragen (to wear glasses)
- einen Hut tragen (to wear a hat)
- schwere Lasten tragen (to carry heavy loads)
- Uniform tragen (to wear a uniform)
Usage Notes
Stem Vowel Changes
- Present tense:
- Singular 1st/2nd/3rd person and 3rd person singular plural (du, er/sie/es): a → ä
- Example: du trägst, er trägt
- Simple past:
- All forms use the stem vowel u (tragen → trug)
Auxiliary Verb
- tragen always takes haben in perfect tense, even when meaning “to carry.”
Separable Prefixes
- tragen forms compound verbs with prefixes that change or add to its meaning. For example:
- mittragen (to carry along)
- weitertragen (to carry on)
- ausgetragen (to deliver, as in childbirth)
Sample Sentences
Present Tense
- Ich trage heute einen grünen Pullover. (I am wearing a green sweater today.)
- Kannst du die Tasche tragen? (Can you carry the bag?)
- Sie trägt immer teuren Schmuck. (She always wears expensive jewelry.)
Simple Past
- Gestern trug er einen schwarzen Anzug. (Yesterday he wore a black suit.)
- Wir trugen die Kisten in den Keller. (We carried the boxes to the basement.)
- Sie trug eine wunderschöne Halskette. (She wore a beautiful necklace.)
Present Perfect (Perfekt)
- Ich habe meine neuen Stiefel getragen. (I have worn my new boots.)
- Hast du die Pakete getragen? (Did you carry the packages?)
- Wir haben die schweren Koffer getragen. (We have carried the heavy suitcases.)
In the sentence “Gestern trug er einen schwarzen Anzug,” which meaning of tragen applies?
to wear
Here, tragen means “to wear” because it talks about someone wearing a suit.
Summary
- tragen = “to wear” (clothing) or “to carry” (objects)
- Irregular vowel changes: a → ä (present), a → u (past)
- Past participle: getragen
- Auxiliary: haben
- Use context to determine whether it means “wear” or “carry”
Tragen is a versatile verb that appears in daily conversation, describing everything from what people wear to what they carry.
Other Common Forms
Present Subjunctive (Konjunktiv II)
Used for polite requests or hypothetical situations. The stem vowel changes to ä plus the subjunctive ending.
| Pronoun | German Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|
| ich | Ich träge den Mantel, wenn es kalt wäre. | I would wear the coat if it were cold. |
| du | Trägest du die Tasche, wenn ich sie nicht tragen kann? | Would you carry the bag if I can’t? |
| er/sie/es | Sie träge den Hut zu diesem Anlass. | She would wear the hat for this occasion. |
Future Tense (Futur I)
Formed with werden + tragen (infinitive).
| Pronoun | German Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|
| ich | Ich werde morgen einen Schal tragen. | I will wear a scarf tomorrow. |
| du | Du wirst die Bücher tragen müssen. | You will have to carry the books. |
| wir | Wir werden leichte Kleidung tragen. | We will wear light clothing. |
Imperative Form
Used for giving commands or instructions.
| Pronoun | German Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|
| du | Trag die Tasche! | Carry the bag! |
| ihr | Tragt die Koffer! | Carry the suitcases! |
| Sie | Tragen Sie bitte den Mantel! | Please wear the coat! |
Infinitive with zu (zu + tragen)
Used after certain verbs or in more complex sentences.
| Example |
|---|
| Ich versuche, die Tasche zu tragen. (I’m trying to carry the bag.) |
| Es ist schwierig, schwere Lasten zu tragen. (It’s difficult to carry heavy loads.) |
Participle I (Present Participle)
Formed by adding -d to the infinitive. Rarely used, mostly in written or formal contexts.
| Example |
|---|
| der tragende Mann (the man who is carrying) |
| die tragende Rolle (the leading role) |
Flashcards (1 of 21)
- Pronoun / Person: ich
- English Example: I carry the bag.
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
