The idea
Present tense: ich klettere, du kletterst, er/sie/es klettert, wir klettern, ihr klettert, sie/Sie klettern. Learn the sentence pattern auf etwas klettern together with the principal parts.
| Form | Deutsch |
|---|---|
| ich | klettere |
| du | kletterst |
| er/sie/es | klettert |
| wir | klettern |
| ihr | klettert |
| sie/Sie | klettern |
| Präteritum | kletterte |
| Perfekt | ist geklettert |
| Imperativ (du) | Klettere! |
| Muster | auf etwas klettern |
Meaning and sentence pattern
Klettern describes climbing using hands or feet. The destination on an object uses auf plus accusative, and movement perfects use sein.
Learn this pattern as a unit: auf etwas klettern. The six situations below show the verb with concrete objects, complements or circumstances.
Form check
Wir haben auf den Felsen geklettert.Wir sind auf den Felsen geklettert.For movement to a destination, klettern forms the perfect with sein.
Examples
- Ich klettere im Kurs nur mit Sicherung.I climb only with safety equipment in the course.
- Du kletterst bis zur gelben Markierung.You climb up to the yellow marker.
- Die Katze klettert auf den Apfelbaum.The cat climbs up the apple tree.
- Wir kletterten über die niedrige Mauer.We climbed over the low wall.
- Sie ist bis zur ersten Plattform geklettert.She climbed up to the first platform.
- Klettere nicht auf das wackelige Regal.Do not climb onto the wobbly shelving unit.
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
For movement to a destination, klettern forms the perfect with sein.
Try it yourself
du ___ (klettern, Präsens)
Show answer or example answer
kletterst
kletterst: this is the second-person singular present form.
er/sie ___ (klettern, Präteritum)
Show answer or example answer
kletterte
kletterte: this is the third-person singular simple past.
Perfekt: er/sie ist ___
Show answer or example answer
geklettert
geklettert: in this use the perfect tense is ist geklettert.
Practice round
Answer three questions, then rebuild three German sentences. We keep your score.
du ___ (klettern, Präsens)
er/sie ___ (klettern, Präteritum)
Perfekt: er/sie ist ___
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 auf etwas klettern.