German verb

Conjugation of dürfen

The German verb dürfen means "to be allowed to". Below are its 5 tenses as tables, with the irregular forms marked, 4 example sentences and answers to 3 common questions. Press play next to a present tense form or an example to hear it.

Meaning
to be allowed to
Type
Irregular -en verb
Auxiliary
haben
Present participle
dürfend
Past participle
gedurft
Quick answer

The present tense of dürfen is ich darf, du darfst, er/sie/es darf, wir dürfen, ihr dürft, sie/Sie dürfen. It is irregular: 3 of its 6 present forms break the regular -en pattern. The tables below cover 5 tenses, from the present to the conditional (konjunktiv ii). Its present participle is dürfend and its past participle is gedurft.

Present tense of dürfen

Forms in orange break the regular -en pattern.

Present Präsens
ich darf (irregular)
du darfst (irregular)
er/sie/es darf (irregular)
wir dürfen
ihr dürft
sie/Sie dürfen

More tenses of dürfen

Simple past Präteritum
ich durfte (irregular)
du durftest (irregular)
er/sie/es durfte (irregular)
wir durften (irregular)
ihr durftet (irregular)
sie/Sie durften (irregular)
Present perfect Perfekt
ich habe gedurft (irregular)
du hast gedurft (irregular)
er/sie/es hat gedurft (irregular)
wir haben gedurft (irregular)
ihr habt gedurft (irregular)
sie/Sie haben gedurft (irregular)
Future Futur I
ich werde dürfen
du wirst dürfen
er/sie/es wird dürfen
wir werden dürfen
ihr werdet dürfen
sie/Sie werden dürfen
Conditional (Konjunktiv II) Konjunktiv II
ich dürfte
du dürftest
er/sie/es dürfte
wir dürften
ihr dürftet
sie/Sie dürften

Notes on dürfen

Dürfen is irregular. The irregular forms include ich darf, ich durfte, and ich habe gedurft, while the table has no imperative.

This verb has no imperative.

Meet dürfen in real German books

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Example sentences with dürfen

  • Darf ich heute länger draußen bleiben? May I stay outside longer today?
  • Wir dürfen hier nicht laut sprechen. We are not allowed to speak loudly here.
  • Früher durfte ich allein zur Schule gehen. I was allowed to walk to school alone before.
  • Ich dürfte morgen etwas später kommen. I might be allowed to come a little later tomorrow.
können to be able to müssen to have to sollen to be supposed to wollen to want

Conjugate any other German verb in the conjugator →

All 151 common German verbs →

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Frequently asked questions

Is dürfen a regular or irregular verb?

Dürfen is irregular. Its table shows irregular forms in the present, simple past, and present perfect.

What are the simple past forms of dürfen?

The forms are ich durfte, du durftest, er, sie, es durfte, wir durften, ihr durftet, and sie, Sie durften.

Which auxiliary and participle does dürfen use in the present perfect?

Dürfen uses haben as its auxiliary. Its past participle is gedurft, as in ich habe gedurft.