What does werden mean in German?

Werden means "to become" or "to get", as in es wird dunkel (it is getting dark). It also serves as the auxiliary verb for the future tense and for the passive voice.

How do you conjugate werden?

The present tense is ich werde, du wirst, er/sie/es wird, wir werden, ihr werdet, sie werden. The du and er forms are irregular because they drop the d from the stem.

What is the difference between geworden and worden?

Use geworden when werden means "become": sie ist Lehrerin geworden (she became a teacher). Use worden in the passive perfect, after another participle: der Brief ist geschrieben worden (the letter has been written).

What is the difference between werden and bekommen?

Werden means "to become" and bekommen means "to receive". They look like a matched pair to English speakers but they are not, so ich bekomme müde is wrong; the correct sentence is ich werde müde (I am getting tired).

How do you form the future tense with werden?

Put the conjugated form of werden in second position and the main verb in the infinitive at the end: ich werde nächste Woche nach Berlin fahren (I will travel to Berlin next week).

German Words for Beginners

Verb

werden

to become

Werden (to become) does three separate jobs in German, which is why it appears in so many sentences. Used on its own it means to become or to get: es wird kalt (it is getting cold), sie wird Ärztin (she is becoming a doctor).

Second, it builds the future tense together with an infinitive: ich werde morgen anrufen (I will call tomorrow). In everyday speech Germans often use the present tense plus a time word instead, so ich rufe morgen an means the same thing and sounds more natural.

Third, it builds the passive voice: das Haus wird gebaut (the house is being built). This use causes the most confusion, because the participle changes shape. In the passive perfect you get worden, not geworden: das Haus ist gebaut worden (the house has been built). When werden stands alone and means "become", the participle keeps its ge-: er ist Lehrer geworden (he became a teacher).

The verb is irregular. The du and er forms drop the d of the stem, giving du wirst and er wird. The simple past is wurde (ich wurde, du wurdest, wir wurden), and the perfect always takes sein as its auxiliary, never haben.

A frequent mistake is reaching for bekommen when you mean "become". Bekommen means "to receive", so ich bekomme ein Geschenk is "I get a present", not "I become a present". It is one of the best known false friends between English and German.

Present tense conjugation of werden

Irregular verb

English

to become

ichwerde

duwirst

er/sie/eswird

wirwerden

ihrwerdet

sie/Siewerden

Perfekt

ich bin geworden

Partizip II

geworden

Auxiliary

sein

Vocabulary lists with werden

werden appears in the following vocabulary collections:

Goethe A1 Irregular Verbs

Goethe A1 strong verbs: Past Tense (Perfekt)

Practice werden in games

Example Sentences

Ich werde müde.
I am getting tired.
Werden in Position 2, simple statement.
Er wird nervös.
He is becoming nervous.
Verb in position 2 after the subject.
Wir werden hungrig.
We are getting hungry.
Plural subject with verb in position 2.

Frequently asked questions about werden

What does werden mean in German?: Werden means "to become" or "to get", as in es wird dunkel (it is getting dark). It also serves as the auxiliary verb for the future tense and for the passive voice.
How do you conjugate werden?: The present tense is ich werde, du wirst, er/sie/es wird, wir werden, ihr werdet, sie werden. The du and er forms are irregular because they drop the d from the stem.
What is the difference between geworden and worden?: Use geworden when werden means "become": sie ist Lehrerin geworden (she became a teacher). Use worden in the passive perfect, after another participle: der Brief ist geschrieben worden (the letter has been written).
What is the difference between werden and bekommen?: Werden means "to become" and bekommen means "to receive". They look like a matched pair to English speakers but they are not, so ich bekomme müde is wrong; the correct sentence is ich werde müde (I am getting tired).
How do you form the future tense with werden?: Put the conjugated form of werden in second position and the main verb in the infinitive at the end: ich werde nächste Woche nach Berlin fahren (I will travel to Berlin next week).