besprechen: Full Conjugation and Usage

Besprechen means "to discuss," "to talk over," "to go through" something with someone — a plan, a problem, the details of a project. It is built on sprechen ("to speak") with the inseparable prefix be-, and like its base it is a strong verb with the e → i stem change in the present. The prefix changes the verb in two ways that matter for learners. First, mechanically: inseparable be- never splits off, takes no ge- in the participle, and puts zu before the whole word. Second, semantically: where bare sprechen needs the preposition über to introduce a topic (über etwas sprechen), the be- prefix swallows that "about" into the verb itself, so besprechen takes a plain accusative object — etwas besprechen. English keeps "discuss" transitive too ("discuss the plan," not "discuss about the plan"), so this one is friendlier than it looks.

Principal parts

Read this as besprechen – besprach – hat besprochen. The vowel runs e → a → o, exactly mirroring sprechen – sprach – gesprochen. The Perfekt auxiliary is haben — you discuss something, so the verb is transitive. The participle is besprochen, not "begesprochen": the inseparable prefix blocks ge-. See inseparable prefixes and the base verb sprechen.

Präsens (present)

This is the e → i class: the e of the stem becomes i in the du- and er/sie/es-forms (besprichst, bespricht), exactly as in du sprichst, er spricht. The prefix never moves.

Präteritum (simple past)

The past stem is besprach-, with a. Strong endings, no -te-. This is the written and reporting form.

Perfekt (present perfect)

Present of haben + the participle besprochen — the everyday past for conversation.

Imperativ (commands)

Like its base sprechen, the du-imperative uses the changed stem vowel -i- and drops the -e: besprich! The inseparable prefix stays attached.

Konjunktiv II (would / hypothetical)

As a strong verb, besprechen has a synthetic Konjunktiv II built from the Präteritum stem besprach- plus an umlaut: bespräche. It still sounds somewhat formal, so the würde-form dominates in everyday speech.

Usage and government

The core frame is etwas mit jemandem besprechen — to discuss something (accusative thing) with someone (mit + dative person). The "what" is the direct object; the "with whom" rides on mit.

There is also a reflexive sich besprechen ("to confer," "to put their heads together"), where two or more parties discuss something among themselves.

besprechen vs. sprechen über

The most useful insight here is the contrast with the base verb. Compare:

• über etwas sprechen — to speak about something (intransitive; needs über
  • accusative)
• etwas besprechen — to discuss something (transitive; plain accusative)

The be- prefix is doing the work of English "about": it pulls the topic in as a direct object. Besprechen also leans more deliberate and purposeful — you besprechen a plan in order to settle it, whereas you might just über etwas sprechen casually.

Collocations and fixed expressions

Note the review sense: ein Buch besprechen is what a critic does — write or give a Besprechung (a review). The same verb covers both the boardroom "discuss" and the newspaper "review."

Common Mistakes

Key Takeaways

• Principal parts: besprechen – besprach – hat besprochen (strong, e → a → o, auxiliary haben).
• Present e → i: du besprichst, er bespricht; imperative besprich!
• Inseparable be-: never splits, no ge- (besprochen), zu before the whole word.
• Government: etwas mit jemandem besprechen — plain accusative for the topic, mit
  • dative for the person. No über.
• Contrast: über etwas sprechen (talk about) vs. etwas besprechen (discuss, settle); reflexive sich besprechen = to confer; also "to review" a book or film.