The idea
Present tense: ich atme, du atmest, er/sie/es atmet, wir atmen, ihr atmet, sie/Sie atmen. Learn the sentence pattern ruhig atmen; durch die Nase atmen together with the principal parts.
| Form | Deutsch |
|---|---|
| ich | atme |
| du | atmest |
| er/sie/es | atmet |
| wir | atmen |
| ihr | atmet |
| sie/Sie | atmen |
| Präteritum | atmete |
| Perfekt | hat geatmet |
| Imperativ (du) | Atme! |
| Muster | ruhig atmen; durch die Nase atmen |
Meaning and sentence pattern
Atmen is normally intransitive. Einatmen and ausatmen are separable compounds for breathing in and out.
Learn this pattern as a unit: ruhig atmen; durch die Nase atmen. The six situations below show the verb with concrete objects, complements or circumstances.
Form check
Du atmst schnell.Du atmest schnell.The stem atm needs e before st: atmest.
Examples
- Ich atme nach dem steilen Anstieg schneller.I breathe faster after the steep climb.
- Du atmest beim Lesen hörbar ein.You audibly breathe in while reading.
- Die Sängerin atmet vor der langen Zeile tief.The singer takes a deep breath before the long line.
- Nach dem Sprint atmeten wir schwer.We breathed heavily after the sprint.
- Er hat während der Aufnahme sehr laut geatmet.He breathed very loudly during the recording.
- Atme vor dem nächsten Satz einmal ruhig ein.Take one calm breath before the next sentence.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic German voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No German device voice is available. You can still read the text and use the linked listening resources.
Watch out
The stem atm needs e before st: atmest.
Try it yourself
du ___ (atmen, Präsens)
Show answer or example answer
atmest
atmest: this is the second-person singular present form.
er/sie ___ (atmen, Präteritum)
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atmete
atmete: this is the third-person singular simple past.
Perfekt: er/sie hat ___
Show answer or example answer
geatmet
geatmet: in this use the perfect tense is hat geatmet.
Practice round
Answer three questions, then rebuild three German sentences. We keep your score.
du ___ (atmen, Präsens)
er/sie ___ (atmen, Präteritum)
Perfekt: er/sie hat ___
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Read the six situations aloud, compare the verb forms, and complete the present, past and participle checks. Then write a new sentence that follows ruhig atmen; durch die Nase atmen.