The idea
Present tense: ich male, du malst, er/sie/es malt, wir malen, ihr malt, sie/Sie malen. Learn the sentence pattern ein Bild malen; etwas auf eine Fläche malen together with the principal parts.
| Form | Deutsch |
|---|---|
| ich | male |
| du | malst |
| er/sie/es | malt |
| wir | malen |
| ihr | malt |
| sie/Sie | malen |
| Präteritum | malte |
| Perfekt | hat gemalt |
| Imperativ (du) | Male! |
| Muster | ein Bild malen; etwas auf eine Fläche malen |
Meaning and sentence pattern
Malen describes making a picture or applying color. Painting a room's walls is often expressed more specifically with streichen.
Learn this pattern as a unit: ein Bild malen; etwas auf eine Fläche malen. The six situations below show the verb with concrete objects, complements or circumstances.
Form check
Ich habe gemalen.Ich habe gemalt.Malen is regular; the participle is gemalt with t.
Examples
- Ich male die Landschaft mit Wasserfarben.I paint the landscape with watercolors.
- Du malst kleine Sterne auf das Schild.You paint small stars on the sign.
- Das Kind malt seine Familie an einem runden Tisch.The child draws their family at a round table.
- Wir malten gemeinsam ein großes Bühnenbild.We painted a large stage backdrop together.
- Sie hat das Muster von Hand gemalt.She painted the pattern by hand.
- Male die helle Fläche zuerst, bevor du die Details ergänzt.Paint the light area first before adding the details.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic German voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
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Watch out
Malen is regular; the participle is gemalt with t.
Try it yourself
du ___ (malen, Präsens)
Show answer or example answer
malst
malst: this is the second-person singular present form.
er/sie ___ (malen, Präteritum)
Show answer or example answer
malte
malte: this is the third-person singular simple past.
Perfekt: er/sie hat ___
Show answer or example answer
gemalt
gemalt: in this use the perfect tense is hat gemalt.
Practice round
Answer three questions, then rebuild three German sentences. We keep your score.
du ___ (malen, Präsens)
er/sie ___ (malen, 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 ein Bild malen; etwas auf eine Fläche malen.