German verbs can feel like a mischievous bunch-some follow tidy patterns, and others do their own thing entirely. This list rounds up roughly 200 of the most common irregular verbs you’ll actually meet in everyday German, from starke Verben that shift their vowel (trinken → trank → getrunken) to the sometimes-forgotten mixed verbs that borrow pieces from both camps. If you’re tired of guessing past forms or blanking mid-sentence, this reference is for you.
Each entry gives you the infinitive, a plain-English meaning, and a natural example sentence so you can see the verb in action. Because just seeing a word isn’t enough, we’ve included audio for every verb-tap the play button and practice saying it out loud until the sound sticks.
Ready to make German verbs feel a little less like a boss battle and a lot more like a tidy study win? SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM of the article to grab the free printable German irregular verbs PDF vocabulary list PDF and the free downloadable printable German irregular verbs PDF flashcards, both made for easy practice.
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Quick Quiz
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Browse the Full List
| Word | Type | Meaning | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8. Translation | I found the key. | ||
| 8. Translation | I found the key. | ||
| 9. Translation | She brought coffee. | ||
| 9. Translation | She brought coffee. | ||
| 9. Translation | She brought coffee. | ||
| absichtlich | Adjective | intentional, deliberate, willful, intended, wilful | |
| absichtlich | Adjective | intentional, deliberate, willful, intended, wilful | |
| Antike | Other | classical antiquity, ancient world | |
| Antike | Other | classical antiquity, ancient world | |
| Antike | Other | classical antiquity, ancient world | |
| arbeiten → arbeitete | to work | ||
| arbeiten → arbeitete | to work | ||
| arbeiten → arbeitete | to work | ||
| au | Other | ouch! ow! | |
| au | Other | ouch! ow! | |
| au | Other | ouch! ow! | |
| auslegen | Verb | lay out, spread out | |
| auslegen | Verb | lay out, spread out | |
| begleichen | Verb | settle, pay off, discharge, square, honor, honour, pay | |
| begleichen | Verb | settle, pay off, discharge, square, honor, honour, pay | |
| begleichen | Verb | settle, pay off, discharge, square, honor, honour, pay | |
| begrenzt | Adjective | limited, restricted | |
| begrenzt | Adjective | limited, restricted | |
| beschweren | Verb | weight down | |
| beschweren | Verb | weight down |
Free German Irregular Verbs PDF and Flashcards to Download
Download the purple vocab-list button for your German irregular verbs PDF vocabulary list and the teal flashcards button for your German irregular verbs PDF flashcards. Both are 100% free, with no signup needed.

