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fluentbyear

GERMAN VERB

sterben

to die

  • #256 most used
  • Strong verb
  • Past participle: gestorben

Conjugation

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

Present

Präsens · now, habits and facts

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

Simple past

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

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

Perfect

Perfekt · the past of speech: “habe gemacht”

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

Future

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

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

Conditional

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

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

Imperative

Imperativ · requests and orders: du, ihr, Sie

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

How to use sterben

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

  1. Present

    Ich sterbe vor Hunger, wann gibt es Essen?

    I'm starving, when's dinner?

  2. Simple past

    Mein Großvater starb vor zehn Jahren.

    My grandfather died ten years ago.

  3. Perfect

    Ihre Katze ist letzte Woche gestorben.

    Her cat died last week.

  4. Future

    Ohne Wasser wird die Pflanze sterben.

    Without water the plant will die.

  5. Conditional

    Ohne Kaffee würde ich morgens sterben.

    Without coffee I'd die in the mornings.

  6. Imperative

    Stirb nicht vor Langeweile, ruf mich an!

    Don't die of boredom, call me!

Good to know

  • You die of something with "an", an einer Krankheit sterben; "vor Hunger sterben" is dying of hunger, often as a joke.

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: strong verb.