The idea
Present tense: ich starte, du startest, er/sie/es startet, wir starten, ihr startet, sie/Sie starten. Learn the sentence pattern etwas starten together with the principal parts.
| Form | Deutsch |
|---|---|
| ich | starte |
| du | startest |
| er/sie/es | startet |
| wir | starten |
| ihr | startet |
| sie/Sie | starten |
| Präteritum | startete |
| Perfekt | hat gestartet |
| Imperativ (du) | Starte! |
| Muster | etwas starten |
Meaning and sentence pattern
The table teaches transitive starting with haben, as in ein Programm starten. Intransitive departure or takeoff can instead use sein.
Learn this pattern as a unit: etwas starten. The six situations below show the verb with concrete objects, complements or circumstances.
Form check
Ich bin das Programm gestartet.Ich habe das Programm gestartet.Starting a direct object such as a program uses haben; the program itself may be gestartet sein.
Examples
- Ich starte das Programm nach dem Update neu.I restart the program after the update.
- Du startest die Aufnahme mit der roten Taste.You start the recording with the red button.
- Der Verein startet eine Aktion für neue Mitglieder.The club launches a campaign for new members.
- Wir starteten den Motor nach der Kontrolle.We started the engine after the check.
- Sie hat die Präsentation bereits gestartet.She has already started the presentation.
- Starte den Test erst nach der Einführung.Start the test only after the introduction.
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
Starting a direct object such as a program uses haben; the program itself may be gestartet sein.
Try it yourself
du ___ (starten, Präsens)
Show answer or example answer
startest
startest: this is the second-person singular present form.
er/sie ___ (starten, Präteritum)
Show answer or example answer
startete
startete: this is the third-person singular simple past.
Perfekt: er/sie hat ___
Show answer or example answer
gestartet
gestartet: in this use the perfect tense is hat gestartet.
Practice round
Answer three questions, then rebuild three German sentences. We keep your score.
du ___ (starten, Präsens)
er/sie ___ (starten, 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.
Keep your progress
Sign up for free to save your practice results in your account and carry on with the story in the game.
Sign up to saveI already have an accountUse it today
Read the six situations aloud, compare the verb forms, and complete the present, past and participle checks. Then write a new sentence that follows etwas starten.