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GERMAN VERB

bitten

to ask for, to request

  • #163 most used
  • Strong verb
  • Past participle: gebeten

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Präsens · now, habits and facts

  1. ich I ask for
  2. du you ask for
  3. er, sie, es he/she asks for
  4. wir we ask for
  5. ihr you all ask for
  6. sie, Sie they ask for

Simple past

Präteritum · the past of writing, and of sein, haben and the modals in speech

  1. ich I asked for
  2. du you asked for
  3. er, sie, es he/she asked for
  4. wir we asked for
  5. ihr you all asked for
  6. sie, Sie they asked for

Perfect

Perfekt · the past of speech: “habe gemacht”

  1. ich I have asked for
  2. du you have asked for
  3. er, sie, es he/she has asked for
  4. wir we have asked for
  5. ihr you all have asked for
  6. sie, Sie they have asked for

Future

Futur I · “werden”; in speech the present with “morgen” does the job

  1. ich I will ask for
  2. du you will ask for
  3. er, sie, es he/she will ask for
  4. wir we will ask for
  5. ihr you all will ask for
  6. sie, Sie they will ask for

Conditional

Konjunktiv II · “would”: “würde”, and “wäre”, “hätte”, “könnte”

  1. ich I would ask for
  2. du you would ask for
  3. er, sie, es he/she would ask for
  4. wir we would ask for
  5. ihr you all would ask for
  6. sie, Sie they would ask for

Imperative

Imperativ · requests and orders: du, ihr, Sie

  1. du ask for!
  2. ihr ask for! (all of you)
  3. Sie ask for! (formal)

How to use bitten

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Ich bitte Sie um etwas Geduld.

    I ask you for a little patience.

  2. Simple past

    Er bat mich um meine Telefonnummer.

    He asked me for my phone number.

  3. Perfect

    Ich habe ihn um einen Gefallen gebeten.

    I asked him for a favour.

  4. Future

    Wir werden den Nachbarn um Hilfe bitten.

    We'll ask the neighbour for help.

  5. Conditional

    Ich würde dich nie um Geld bitten.

    I would never ask you for money.

  6. Imperative

    Bittet die Nachbarn um etwas Ruhe!

    Ask the neighbours to keep it down!

Good to know

  • Bitten um is to ask for something: Ich bitte dich um Hilfe. Bitte on its own is please, or you're welcome.
  • A question is fragen; a request is bitten.

Where you hear bitten

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

German · Intermediate Level 2

  • Wir bitten um Entschuldigung. We apologise.
  • Er hat um einen Kaffee gebeten. He asked for a coffee.
  • Morgen bitte ich um mehr Zeit. Tomorrow I'll ask for more time.

German · Advanced Level 2

  • Wir bitten um Entschuldigung. We apologise.
  • Er hat um einen Kaffee gebeten. He asked for a coffee.
  • Morgen bitte ich um mehr Zeit. Tomorrow I'll ask for more time.
27
A Correction on Air

Intermediate Level 2 · Ich bitte um Ruhe. · Wir bitten um Entschuldigung. · Danke. Und jetzt bitte ich um einen Kaffee!

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The Evacuation

Advanced Level 2 · Die Anwohner werden gebeten, das Gebiet zu verlassen.

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Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: strong verb.