Mixed Verbs
German has a small group of mixed verbs that combine features of regular and irregular verbs: their stem vowel changes, but their past participle takes the regular -t ending.
For example, denken (to think) becomes gedacht. It is often paired with daran (about it).
| I thought about it. | Ich habe daran gedacht. |
| What did he think? | Was hat er gedacht? |
Knowing in the Past
Two common mixed verbs express knowledge:
- wissen (to know a fact) becomes gewusst.
- kennen (to know a place or person) becomes gekannt.
| Who knew the answer? | Wer hat die Antwort gewusst? |
| I knew the way. | Ich habe den Weg gekannt. |
The "-ennen" Pattern
Several mixed verbs ending in -ennen change to -annt in the past participle:
- brennen (to burn) -> gebrannt
- nennen (to name / to call) -> genannt
- rennen (to run) -> gerannt
Remember that verbs of motion, like rennen, use a form of sein as their helper verb instead of haben.
| The fire burned for a long time. | Das Feuer hat lange gebrannt. |
| He called me a friend. | Er hat mich einen Freund genannt. |
| Where did you run to? | Wohin bist du gerannt? |
Other Common Mixed Verbs
bringen (to bring) is another essential mixed verb. Like denken, its past participle ends in -acht to become gebracht.
| Who brought the wine? | Wer hat den Wein gebracht? |
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