Lesen ("to read") is a high-frequency strong verb that combines two features which together produce one of the most confusing forms in beginner German. First, the present vowel changes from e to a long ie in the du and er/sie/es forms (er liest). Second, the stem already ends in -s, so the du-ending -st loses its own s — leaving du and er/sie/es identical: both are liest. Beginners regularly write du liesst (three letters too many) or du lesst (no vowel change at all). Learn the form liest as a single fixed shape and the rest of the paradigm falls into place.
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Präteritum | Partizip II (auxiliary) |
|---|---|---|
| lesen | las | gelesen (hat) |
Read this as lesen – las – hat gelesen. The strong past las shows a short a, and the participle returns to e with the strong -en ending: gelesen. The auxiliary is haben, because reading is an activity with no movement or change of state. See the weak / strong / mixed split.
Präsens (present)
The stem is les-, and the e stretches to ie in the du and er/sie/es forms. Because the stem ends in -s, the du-form does not add a second s — du liest, never du liesst. The upshot: du liest and er liest are spelled and pronounced exactly the same.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | lese |
| du | liest |
| er / sie / es | liest |
| wir | lesen |
| ihr | lest |
| sie / Sie | lesen |
See the e→i/ie vowel change and stems ending in -s, -ß, -z for why the s disappears.
Liest du das Buch gerade, oder kann ich es mir ausleihen?
Are you reading that book right now, or can I borrow it? (informal; note no progressive form)
Meine Oma liest jeden Morgen die Zeitung von vorne bis hinten.
My grandma reads the newspaper cover to cover every morning. (everyday)
Präteritum (simple past)
The strong past stem is las-, with no ending on ich and er/sie/es. Note that because the stem ends in -s, the du-form inserts an e for pronounceability: du lasest.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | las |
| du | lasest |
| er / sie / es | las |
| wir | lasen |
| ihr | last |
| sie / Sie | lasen |
Als Jugendlicher las er einen Roman nach dem anderen.
As a teenager he read one novel after another. (literary/narrative register)
Perfekt (present perfect)
Everyday past: present of haben + the participle gelesen.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe gelesen |
| du | hast gelesen |
| er / sie / es | hat gelesen |
| wir | haben gelesen |
| ihr | habt gelesen |
| sie / Sie | haben gelesen |
Hast du meine Nachricht überhaupt gelesen?
Did you even read my message? (informal)
The participle ends in -en (the strong-verb marker) — not gelest. See the strong participle.
Plusquamperfekt (past perfect)
Past auxiliary (hatte) + gelesen.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hatte gelesen |
| du | hattest gelesen |
| er / sie / es | hatte gelesen |
| wir | hatten gelesen |
| ihr | hattet gelesen |
| sie / Sie | hatten gelesen |
Sie wusste schon, wie es ausgeht, weil sie das Buch früher gelesen hatte.
She already knew how it ends because she had read the book before.
Futur I and Futur II
Werden + infinitive (Futur I) or werden + Partizip II + haben (Futur II).
| Person | Futur I | Futur II |
|---|---|---|
| ich | werde lesen | werde gelesen haben |
| du | wirst lesen | wirst gelesen haben |
| er / sie / es | wird lesen | wird gelesen haben |
| wir | werden lesen | werden gelesen haben |
| ihr | werdet lesen | werdet gelesen haben |
| sie / Sie | werden lesen | werden gelesen haben |
Im Urlaub werde ich endlich mal wieder ein richtiges Buch lesen.
On holiday I'll finally read a proper book again.
Imperativ (commands)
Like all e→i/ie verbs, lesen keeps the vowel change in the du-imperative and drops the -e: it is Lies!, not Lese!. This parallels essen → Iss! and sehen → Sieh!. See du-form imperative irregularities.
| Addressee | Form |
|---|---|
| du | Lies! |
| ihr | Lest! |
| Sie | Lesen Sie! |
Lies das bitte noch einmal in Ruhe durch!
Please read through this once more carefully! (informal du-command, vowel change retained)
Konjunktiv II (would / hypothetical)
The synthetic Konjunktiv II umlauts the past stem las → läse. It is correct and reasonably common in writing; the würde-form is the spoken default.
| Person | Synthetic | würde-form |
|---|---|---|
| ich | läse | würde lesen |
| du | läsest | würdest lesen |
| er / sie / es | läse | würde lesen |
| wir | läsen | würden lesen |
| ihr | läset | würdet lesen |
| sie / Sie | läsen | würden lesen |
Wenn ich mehr Zeit hätte, läse ich viel mehr.
If I had more time, I'd read a lot more. (synthetic Konjunktiv II, literary)
Usage and government
Lesen is transitive and takes the accusative: ein Buch lesen, die Nachrichten lesen, eine SMS lesen. See accusative functions. It also appears with von or über for "to read about something" (Ich habe in der Zeitung davon gelesen). The phrase vorlesen (separable) means "to read aloud to someone," with the listener in the dative: Ich lese den Kindern vor.
Ich habe heute in der Zeitung über den Streik gelesen.
I read about the strike in the newspaper today. (über + accusative for the topic)
Common idioms and fixed expressions
| Expression | English |
|---|---|
| zwischen den Zeilen lesen | to read between the lines |
| jemandem die Leviten lesen | to read someone the riot act |
| Korrektur lesen | to proofread |
| jemandem etwas von den Augen ablesen | to read something in someone's eyes / anticipate their wishes |
| jemandem die Gedanken lesen | to read someone's mind |
Bei diesem Chef muss man oft zwischen den Zeilen lesen.
With this boss you often have to read between the lines. (idiomatic)
Common Mistakes
❌ Du liesst das Buch sehr schnell.
Wrong spelling — the -s stem swallows the -st ending; it is du liest, not liesst.
✅ Du liest das Buch sehr schnell.
You read the book very fast.
❌ Er lest gerade einen Roman.
Missing vowel change — the er-form is liest (e→ie), not lest (that is the ihr-form).
✅ Er liest gerade einen Roman.
He's reading a novel right now.
❌ Lese den Brief vor!
Wrong imperative — the e→ie change carries into the command: Lies!
✅ Lies den Brief vor!
Read the letter aloud!
❌ Ich habe den ganzen Roman gelest.
Wrong participle — lesen is strong; the participle is gelesen (vowel e, ending -en).
✅ Ich habe den ganzen Roman gelesen.
I read the whole novel.
Key Takeaways
- Principal parts: lesen – las – hat gelesen (strong, past vowel a).
- Present vowel change e → ie: du liest, er liest — identical, because the -s stem drops the -st's s.
- The vowel change survives in the imperative: Lies!, not Lese!.
- Government is accusative; Perfekt with haben.
- Topics read "about" take über (+ accusative) or von (+ dative).
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Start learning German→Related Topics
- Present Tense: Strong Verbs with e to i / ieA2 — How strong verbs change their stem vowel from e to i or ie in the du and er/sie/es forms only.
- Present Tense: Stems Ending in -t, -d, -s, -ß, -zA2 — Two pronunciation-driven adjustments to the present tense — the linking -e- and the disappearing -s of the du-form.
- The du-Imperative: Strong Verbs and IrregularitiesB1 — Why strong e→i/ie verbs keep their vowel change in the du-command (Gib! Nimm! Lies!) but a→ä verbs drop the umlaut (Fahr! Schlaf!).
- Past Participles of Strong Verbs (ge-...-en)A2 — How strong German verbs form their past participle with ge-...-en and a changed stem vowel, grouped by ablaut series.
- Weak, Strong, and Mixed VerbsA2 — The three German verb classes defined by how they form their past tense and participle — weak (-te / ge-...-t), strong (ablaut / ge-...-en), and mixed (vowel change + weak endings).
- The Accusative CaseA1 — The accusative marks the direct object — and because only masculine articles visibly change, masculine 'den/einen' is the system's single biggest stumbling block.