The idea
Present tense: ich beobachte, du beobachtest, er/sie/es beobachtet, wir beobachten, ihr beobachtet, sie/Sie beobachten. Learn the sentence pattern jemanden oder etwas beobachten together with the principal parts.
| Form | Deutsch |
|---|---|
| ich | beobachte |
| du | beobachtest |
| er/sie/es | beobachtet |
| wir | beobachten |
| ihr | beobachtet |
| sie/Sie | beobachten |
| Präteritum | beobachtete |
| Perfekt | hat beobachtet |
| Imperativ (du) | Beobachte! |
| Muster | jemanden oder etwas beobachten |
Meaning and sentence pattern
Beobachten means watching carefully over time. It takes an accusative object and does not imply participation.
Learn this pattern as a unit: jemanden oder etwas beobachten. The six situations below show the verb with concrete objects, complements or circumstances.
Form check
Du beobachtst die Szene.Du beobachtest die Szene.The t at the end of the stem requires e before st.
Examples
- Ich beobachte die Vögel vom Küchenfenster aus.I watch the birds from the kitchen window.
- Du beobachtest, wie sich die Farbe verändert.You observe how the color changes.
- Die Trainerin beobachtet den Bewegungsablauf.The coach observes the movement sequence.
- Wir beobachteten die Wolken vor dem Aufbruch.We watched the clouds before setting off.
- Sie hat den gesamten Ablauf genau beobachtet.She observed the entire process closely.
- Beobachte zuerst und notiere danach deine Eindrücke.Observe first and then write down your impressions.
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Watch out
The t at the end of the stem requires e before st.
Try it yourself
du ___ (beobachten, Präsens)
Show answer or example answer
beobachtest
beobachtest: this is the second-person singular present form.
er/sie ___ (beobachten, Präteritum)
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beobachtete
beobachtete: this is the third-person singular simple past.
Perfekt: er/sie hat ___
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beobachtet
beobachtet: in this use the perfect tense is hat beobachtet.
Practice round
Answer three questions, then rebuild three German sentences. We keep your score.
du ___ (beobachten, Präsens)
er/sie ___ (beobachten, 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 jemanden oder etwas beobachten.