Reden ("to talk, to speak") is a regular weak verb, but its stem ends in -d, which forces a linking -e- before the endings -st and -t — exactly the same mechanism you see in arbeiten and antworten. Without that -e-, the ending would be unpronounceable. Beyond conjugation, reden is worth studying for how it differs from its near-synonyms sprechen and sagen, and for the prepositions it governs when you talk about something.
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Präteritum | Partizip II (auxiliary) |
|---|---|---|
| reden | redete | geredet (hat) |
Read this as reden – redete – hat geredet. The linking -e- shows up everywhere the stem red- meets a consonant ending: redete, geredet.
Präsens (present)
Because the stem ends in -d, the du and er/sie/es forms — and the ihr form — insert an -e- so that you can actually say them: du redest, er redet, ihr redet.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | rede |
| du | redest |
| er / sie / es | redet |
| wir | reden |
| ihr | redet |
| sie / Sie | reden |
Du redest heute aber viel — was ist los?
You're talking a lot today — what's up? (note the linking -e-: redest)
Worüber redet ihr da so angeregt?
What are you all talking about so animatedly over there? (informal)
Präteritum (simple past)
The linking -e- appears again in front of the -te endings.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | redete |
| du | redetest |
| er / sie / es | redete |
| wir | redeten |
| ihr | redetet |
| sie / Sie | redeten |
Wir redeten bis tief in die Nacht.
We talked until deep into the night.
Perfekt (present perfect)
Built with haben plus the participle geredet (again with the linking -e-).
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe geredet |
| du | hast geredet |
| er / sie / es | hat geredet |
| wir | haben geredet |
| ihr | habt geredet |
| sie / Sie | haben geredet |
Wir haben gestern lange über dich geredet — nur Gutes!
We talked about you for ages yesterday — only good things! (informal)
Imperativ (commands)
| Addressee | Form |
|---|---|
| du | red(e) |
| ihr | redet |
| Sie | reden Sie |
Red doch endlich mit ihm, das klärt sich sofort.
Just talk to him already, it'll sort itself out right away. (informal)
Government: reden über, von, mit
To talk about a topic, reden takes one of two prepositions:
- reden über + accusative — to talk about (treat as a topic, more focused)
- reden von + dative — to talk of / about (mention, refer to)
To talk to/with a person, use mit + dative (German has no "to" here — you talk with someone).
Lass uns nicht über die Arbeit reden, wir sind im Urlaub.
Let's not talk about work, we're on holiday. (über + accusative)
Alle reden von dem neuen Film.
Everyone's talking about the new film. (von + dative)
Ich muss dringend mit dir reden.
I really need to talk to you. (mit + dative — never 'reden zu')
reden vs sprechen vs sagen
English blurs these; German keeps them distinct. The rough division of labour:
| Verb | Sense | Register |
|---|---|---|
| reden | to talk — the activity of talking, chatting, going on | (informal), conversational |
| sprechen | to speak — the faculty of speech; languages; formal speaking | neutral / (formal) |
| sagen | to say — to state a specific content | neutral |
You redest with a friend for hours (the process), you sprichst Deutsch (the ability), and you sagst something specific (the content). Note: it is Deutsch sprechen, never Deutsch reden — for naming a language you always use sprechen.
Sie spricht fließend Spanisch, aber sie redet nicht gern vor Publikum.
She speaks Spanish fluently, but she doesn't like talking in front of an audience. (sprechen = ability; reden = the act)
Du redest viel, aber du sagst nichts.
You talk a lot, but you say nothing. (reden = the activity; sagen = the content)
Collocations and related verbs
| Expression | English |
|---|---|
| Unsinn / Quatsch reden | to talk nonsense |
| Klartext reden | to talk plainly / not mince words |
| jemanden überreden | to persuade / talk someone into (inseparable) |
| jemandem ins Gewissen reden | to appeal to someone's conscience |
| sich (acc) um Kopf und Kragen reden | to talk oneself into trouble |
The prefixed überreden "to persuade" is inseparable (no ge-, prefix never splits): Er hat mich überredet "He talked me into it."
Red keinen Unsinn — das funktioniert nie.
Don't talk nonsense — that'll never work. (informal; Unsinn reden)
Am Ende hat sie mich doch überredet mitzukommen.
In the end she talked me into coming along after all. (überreden, inseparable)
Common Mistakes
❌ Du redst zu schnell.
Missing linking -e- — a d-stem needs -e- before -st: redest.
✅ Du redest zu schnell.
You talk too fast.
❌ Ich rede Deutsch.
Wrong verb for naming a language — use sprechen.
✅ Ich spreche Deutsch.
I speak German.
❌ Ich muss mit dir sprechen über das Problem reden.
Two verbs collide; for talking to a person about something use 'mit dir über … reden.'
✅ Ich muss mit dir über das Problem reden.
I need to talk to you about the problem.
❌ Sie hat mich geüberredet.
Wrong participle — überreden is inseparable and takes no ge-: überredet.
✅ Sie hat mich überredet.
She talked me into it.
Key Takeaways
- Principal parts: reden – redete – hat geredet (weak, haben).
- The -d stem forces a linking -e- before -st/-t: du redest, er redet, geredet — just like arbeiten.
- Government: über + accusative or von + dative for the topic; mit + dative for the person.
- reden = the act of talking (informal); sprechen = speech/languages/formal; sagen = specific content. Languages always take sprechen.
- überreden "persuade" is inseparable (no ge-).
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Start learning German→Related Topics
- 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.
- Präteritum of Weak Verbs (-te)A2 — The fully regular weak past: stem + -te + endings, the ich/er identity, and the linking -ete- after t- and d-stems.
- Verbs with Fixed PrepositionsB1 — The large class of German verbs that govern a fixed preposition with a fixed case (warten auf + Akk., teilnehmen an + Dat.) — why the preposition is never the literal English one and the two-way case is lexically frozen.
- sprechen: Full Conjugation and UsageA1 — Complete conjugation of the strong verb sprechen 'to speak' across all tenses and moods, with the e→i vowel change, the sprechen mit / über distinction, the imperative Sprich!, idioms, and the errors English speakers make.
- sagen: Full Conjugation and UsageA1 — Complete conjugation of sagen 'to say' across every tense and mood, with its dative-plus-accusative valency, role in reported speech, idioms, and the errors English speakers make.
- Verbs of Saying, Thinking, and ReportingB1 — The verba dicendi and sentiendi — sagen, erzählen, behaupten, meinen, glauben, denken, finden, fragen — their dass-clauses, the colloquial dass-less V2 alternative, and the dative recipient.