German word
How to say “to be” in German
The German for “to be”, with audio, grammar notes and the words that go with it.
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German · lesson preview
Step 4Wie spät ist es?
What time is it?
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Say it out loud. Green landed, yellow was close.
Start freeto be
sein
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German
sein
to be
Tap the speaker, then say it back. Audio uses your device’s own German voice and appears when it has one.
Grammar notes
- This is a verb. See the full conjugation of sein.
German words and phrases that go with it
Where this fits
“to be” is word 3 of our most-common-words list in the 4ToSpeak German guides. Browse every German word and phrase A–Z or work through the common words in order.
How do you say “to be” in German?
“to be” in German is “sein”.
What does “sein” mean in English?
“sein” is German for “to be”.
How do you conjugate “sein”?
In the present tense: ich bin, du bist, er / sie / es ist, wir sind, ihr seid, sie / Sie sind.
How do I remember “sein”?
Say it out loud in a sentence, not on its own. Hear it, say it, then use it in a full German sentence. That is how every 4ToSpeak lesson works.
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Use “sein” in a sentence
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