sein
to be
- Past (Präteritum)
- war
- Past participle
- gewesen (sein)
Highly irregular (*bin, bist, ist, sind, seid*). Used as auxiliary for most intransitive verbs of movement/change. *Es ist mir kalt / warm* = impersonal feeling; *sein + zu + Infinitiv* = possibility/obligation (*Das ist zu machen* = That can be done).
Conjugation
Present
- ist
- present, singular, third-person
- bin
- first-person, indicative, present, singular
- sind
- first-person, indicative, plural, present
- bist
- indicative, present, second-person, singular
- seid
- indicative, plural, present, second-person
Past
- war
- first-person, form-of, preterite, singular
- wart
- form-of, plural, preterite, second-person
- waren
- first-person, indicative, plural, preterite
- warst
- indicative, preterite, second-person, singular
Subjunctive
- sei
- first-person, form-of, singular, subjunctive-i
- wäre
- past, subjunctive
- seien
- first-person, plural, subjunctive, subjunctive-i
- seist
- second-person, singular, subjunctive, subjunctive-i
- seiest
- second-person, singular, subjunctive, subjunctive-i
- seiet
- plural, second-person, subjunctive, subjunctive-i
- wären
- first-person, plural, subjunctive, subjunctive-ii
- wärst
- second-person, singular, subjunctive, subjunctive-ii
- wärest
- second-person, singular, subjunctive, subjunctive-ii
- wärt
- plural, second-person, subjunctive, subjunctive-ii
- wäret
- plural, second-person, subjunctive, subjunctive-ii
- sei gewesen
- first-person, multiword-construction, perfect, singular, subjunctive
- seien gewesen
- first-person, multiword-construction, perfect, plural, subjunctive
- seist gewesen
- multiword-construction, perfect, second-person, singular, subjunctive
- seiest gewesen
- multiword-construction, perfect, second-person, singular, subjunctive
- seiet gewesen
- multiword-construction, perfect, plural, second-person, subjunctive
- wäre gewesen
- first-person, multiword-construction, pluperfect, singular, subjunctive
- wären gewesen
- first-person, multiword-construction, pluperfect, plural, subjunctive
- wärst gewesen
- multiword-construction, pluperfect, second-person, singular, subjunctive
- wärest gewesen
- multiword-construction, pluperfect, second-person, singular, subjunctive
- wärt gewesen
- multiword-construction, pluperfect, plural, second-person, subjunctive
- wäret gewesen
- multiword-construction, pluperfect, plural, second-person, subjunctive
- werde sein
- first-person, future, future-i, multiword-construction, singular, subjunctive, subjunctive-i
- werden sein
- first-person, future, future-i, multiword-construction, plural, subjunctive, subjunctive-i
- werdest sein
- future, future-i, multiword-construction, second-person, singular, subjunctive, subjunctive-i
- werdet sein
- future, future-i, multiword-construction, plural, second-person, subjunctive, subjunctive-i
- würde sein
- first-person, future, future-i, multiword-construction, singular, subjunctive, subjunctive-ii
- würden sein
- first-person, future, future-i, multiword-construction, plural, subjunctive, subjunctive-ii
- würdest sein
- future, future-i, multiword-construction, second-person, singular, subjunctive, subjunctive-ii
- würdet sein
- future, future-i, multiword-construction, plural, second-person, subjunctive, subjunctive-ii
Imperative
- sei
- form-of, imperative, singular
- seid
- imperative, plural, second-person
Participle
- gewesen
- participle, past
- seiend
- participle, present
- gewest
- dialectal, form-of, participle, past
Infinitive
- sein
- infinitive
Other
- bin gewesen
- first-person, indicative, multiword-construction, perfect, singular
- sind gewesen
- first-person, indicative, multiword-construction, perfect, plural
- bist gewesen
- indicative, multiword-construction, perfect, second-person, singular
- seid gewesen
- indicative, multiword-construction, perfect, plural, second-person
- ist gewesen
- indicative, multiword-construction, perfect, singular, third-person
- war gewesen
- first-person, indicative, multiword-construction, pluperfect, singular
- waren gewesen
- first-person, indicative, multiword-construction, pluperfect, plural
- warst gewesen
- indicative, multiword-construction, pluperfect, second-person, singular
- wart gewesen
- indicative, multiword-construction, pluperfect, plural, second-person
- sein werden
- future, future-i, infinitive, multiword-construction
- werde sein
- first-person, future, future-i, indicative, multiword-construction, singular
- werden sein
- first-person, future, future-i, indicative, multiword-construction, plural
- wirst sein
- future, future-i, indicative, multiword-construction, second-person, singular
- werdet sein
- future, future-i, indicative, multiword-construction, plural, second-person
- wird sein
- future, future-i, indicative, multiword-construction, singular, third-person
- gewesen sein werden
- future, future-ii, infinitive, multiword-construction
- werde gewesen sein
- first-person, future, future-ii, indicative, multiword-construction, singular
- werden gewesen sein
- first-person, future, future-ii, indicative, multiword-construction, plural
- wirst gewesen sein
- future, future-ii, indicative, multiword-construction, second-person, singular
- werdet gewesen sein
- future, future-ii, indicative, multiword-construction, plural, second-person
- wird gewesen sein
- future, future-ii, indicative, multiword-construction, singular, third-person
- seyn
- alternative, obsolete
- syn
- alternative, obsolete
- frühneuhochdeutsch
- alternative
- Sebastian Brant
- alternative
- Jacob Ruff
- alternative
- seine
- feminine, nominative, singular
- seines
- genitive, masculine, singular
- seiner
- feminine, genitive, singular
- seinem
- dative, masculine, singular
Prefixed forms (3)
- dasein (separable)
to be present / be there
Bist du morgen da? — Will you be there tomorrow?
- wegsein (separable)
to be gone / away
Meine Schlüssel sind weg. — My keys are gone.
- beisein (separable)
to be present at (formal, *dabei sein*)
Er war bei dem Gespräch bei. — He was present at the conversation.