arbeiten is the German verb for "to work," covering everything from professional employment to general effort. It's a regular verb, so it follows the standard conjugation rules for verbs ending in -en.
- Meaning: to work (both for employment and effort)
- Verb type: Regular, -en verb
- Usage: Used for people working, functioning of machines, and sometimes for studying/effort
Arbeiten means 'to work' and is used for labor, effort, and sometimes when machines operate.
'arbeiten' is a regular verb.
'arbeiten' can be used for working at a job, on projects, and even for machines that 'work.'
Conjugation: Present Tense
| Person | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| ich | arbeite | I work |
| du | arbeitest | you work (sing.) |
| er/sie/es | arbeitet | he/she/it works |
| wir | arbeiten | we work |
| ihr | arbeitet | you all work (pl.) |
| sie/Sie | arbeiten | they/you work (formal) |
arbeiten drops the -en for most forms, adding -e, -est, -et, with -en for wir/sie/Sie—typical for regular -en verbs.
- ich arbeite – I work
- du arbeitest – You work (singular informal)
- er/sie/es arbeitet – He/she/it works
- wir arbeiten – We work
- ihr arbeitet – You all work (informal plural)
- sie/Sie arbeiten – They/You work (formal)
The endings are -e, -est, -et, -en for 'arbeiten'.
They work = Sie arbeiten.
Past: Simple Past (Präteritum)
| Person | Form | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| ich | arbeitete | I worked |
| du | arbeitetest | you worked |
| er/sie/es | arbeitete | he/she/it worked |
| wir | arbeiteten | we worked |
| ihr | arbeitetet | you all worked |
| sie/Sie | arbeiteten | they/you worked |
For regular verbs, add -te- for past stem: arbeit- → arbeitete.
- ich arbeitete – I worked
- du arbeitetest – You worked
- er/sie/es arbeitete – He/she/it worked
- wir arbeiteten – We worked
- ihr arbeitetet – You all worked
- sie/Sie arbeiteten – They/You worked
The stem is 'arbeit-'.
Usage Notes / Examples
- At work: Ich arbeite jeden Tag. (I work every day.)
- Projects/Tasks: Wir arbeiten an einem neuen Projekt. (We are working on a new project.)
- Machines: Die Maschine arbeitet schnell. (The machine works quickly.)
- Can be used reflexively: Er arbeitet sich durch die schwere Prüfung. (He works his way through the difficult exam.)
'arbeiten' can be used for working on the computer, together, or for machines.
'arbeiten' can be used for both people and machines.
Correct: 'Ich arbeite in Berlin.', 'Sie arbeiten an dem Projekt.', 'Der Computer arbeitet.'
Conclusion
arbeiten is a key verb for expressing work and effort in German and can even describe machines in action. It’s a regular verb, so it’s straightforward to conjugate and use in many contexts.
- arbeiten means to work and covers jobs, projects, and even machines.
- It’s a regular verb with standard -en conjugation patterns.
- You can use it for people working, studying hard, or machines running.
'arbeiten' means to work.
Yes, 'arbeiten' is a regular verb.
Yes, 'arbeiten' can be used to describe machines working.