The Verb werden: All Meanings and Uses
WĂĽrden, werden, worden, wurden, geworden: all five forms come from the same verb. In this lesson, Luzi from YourGermanTeacher explains why werden is one of the most important and most confusing German verbs, and shows you its five uses with example sentences.
Why Is werden So Confusing?
There are two reasons. First, werden can be a full verb (Vollverb) or a helping verb (Hilfsverb). Second, it has no single English translation. It can mean to become (Ich wurde Lehrer), to get (Mein Hund wird müde) or to turn (Die Blätter werden rot und gelb). English has more specific verbs for these situations, but German uses werden for all of them.
Full Verb or Helping Verb?
A full verb can stand alone in a sentence: Ich koche. Almost all verbs are full verbs. The exception are modal verbs, which always need a second verb.
Helping verbs are used to form tenses and the passive voice. There are only three: haben, sein and werden.
- haben forms the Perfekt and Plusquamperfekt.
- sein forms the Perfekt and Plusquamperfekt, and also the Zustandspassiv.
- werden forms the future tense (Futur I and II) and the Vorgangspassiv.
The Conjugation of werden
| Person | Präsens |
|---|---|
| ich | werde |
| du | wirst |
| er / sie / es | wird |
| wir | werden |
| ihr | werdet |
It is an irregular verb. It also has two past participles, geworden and worden, explained in the bonus tip below.
The Five Uses of werden
In uses 1 and 2, werden is a full verb. In uses 3, 4 and 5, it is a helping verb.
1. werden + Noun (Full Verb)
| Example | English |
|---|---|
| Ja, sie werden bald Eltern. | Yes, they will soon become parents. |
| Was willst du später mal werden? – Ich will Architekt werden. | What do you want to become later? – I want to become an architect. |
| Und was bist du nun geworden? – Ich bin Anwalt geworden. | And what have you become now? – I became a lawyer. |
This is the most common situation when you talk about professions. It is not that common otherwise.
2. werden + Adjective (Full Verb)
| Example | English |
|---|---|
| Morgen wird es sicher kalt, oder? – Nein, es wird warm und sonnig. | It will surely be cold tomorrow, right? – No, it will be warm and sunny. |
| Linda spricht schon sehr gut Deutsch. – Ja, ihr Deutsch wird immer besser. | Linda already speaks very good German. – Yes, her German is getting better and better. |
| Ist Marc schon nach Hause gegangen? – Ja, er wurde plötzlich müde. | Has Marc already gone home? – Yes, he suddenly got tired. |
As a rule of thumb, use werden as a full verb when you talk about change or development. More common examples: reich oder arm werden, krank oder gesund werden, böse oder zornig werden (zornig is even stronger, furious).
3. werden + Infinitive: Futur I (Helping Verb)
Conjugate werden and add the main verb in the infinitive at the end.
| Example | English |
|---|---|
| Wirst du morgen auch kommen? – Ja, ich werde auch kommen. | Will you come tomorrow too? – Yes, I will come too. |
| Werden wir bald nach Hause gehen? – Ja, wir werden bald gehen. | Are we going home soon? – Yes, we will go soon. |
These sentences are correct, but the future tense is not used very often. It is more common to use the present tense: Kommst du morgen auch? – Ja, ich komme auch.
4. werden + Past Participle: Passiv (Helping Verb)
| Example | English |
|---|---|
| Ist dein Auto kaputt? – Ja, aber morgen wird es repariert. | Is your car broken? – Yes, but it will be repaired tomorrow. |
| Wirst du am Flughafen abgeholt? – Ja, ich werde von Peter abgeholt. | Are you being picked up at the airport? – Yes, I'm being picked up by Peter. |
| Ist alles okay mit deinem Hund? – Ja, er ist gestern operiert worden. | Is everything okay with your dog? – Yes, he was operated on yesterday. |
The last example is the passive in the Perfekt. It has two helping verbs: ist (sein) for the perfect tense and worden for the passive.
5. wĂĽrden + Infinitive: Konjunktiv II (Helping Verb)
Use the Konjunktiv II forms ich wĂĽrde, du wĂĽrdest, er wĂĽrde and so on, plus the infinitive, often with gern.
| Example | English |
|---|---|
| Wo würdest du gern wohnen? – Ich würde gern in Köln wohnen. | Where would you like to live? – I would like to live in Cologne. |
| Willst du morgen auch kommen? – Ja, ich würde sehr gern kommen. | Do you want to come tomorrow too? – Yes, I would love to come. |
Bonus Tip: geworden or worden?
Only a few verbs have two past participles. Werden is one of them (lassen is another). The rule is simple:
| Use of werden | Participle | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Full verb | geworden | Hans wird bald Vater. → Gestern ist Hans Vater geworden. |
| Helping verb (Passiv) | worden | Hans wird morgen operiert. → Gestern ist Hans operiert worden. |
In both cases the helping verb for the Perfekt is sein, never haben. In the passive, the doctor who performs the operation is not important, so the sentence does not mention who does it.
Homework
Write two sentences: one with werden as a full verb and one with werden as a helping verb. Share them in the comments.
What to Learn Next
See how the future tense is used in How to talk about the future in German?, learn the passive in The German Passive Voice in the Present Tense and German Passive in the Simple Past and Perfect, see when zu is not used with a second verb in German Infinitive without zu: All the Exceptions, and practise Konjunktiv II in Konjunktiv II: würden, hätten, wären for Wishes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does werden mean in German?
It can mean to become, to get or to turn, for example Ich will Architekt werden or Es wird warm. It is also a helping verb for the future tense, the passive voice and Konjunktiv II with wĂĽrden.
Is werden a full verb or a helping verb?
Both. With a noun or an adjective it is a full verb (Sie werden bald Eltern, Es wird warm). In Futur I, the passive and Konjunktiv II with wĂĽrden it is a helping verb.
How do you conjugate werden in the present tense?
ich werde, du wirst, er/sie/es wird, wir werden, ihr werdet, sie/Sie werden. It is an irregular verb.
When do I use geworden and when worden?
Use geworden when werden is a full verb (Hans ist Vater geworden). Use worden when werden is the helping verb of the passive (Hans ist operiert worden). Both use sein in the Perfekt.
Do I always have to use Futur I with werden for the future?
No. Futur I is correct but not used very often. It is more common to use the present tense with a time word: Kommst du morgen auch? – Ja, ich komme auch.
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