Irregular Past Participles

In the previous lessons, you learned how regular (weak) verbs form the past participle with the pattern ge- + stem + -t (for example, gemacht, gelernt, gekauft). However, many of the most commonly used German verbs are strong (irregular) verbs that follow a different pattern: ge- + changed stem + -en.

These verbs often involve a vowel change in the stem, and you simply have to memorise them. This lesson gives you a comprehensive guide to the most important irregular past participles.

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The Pattern for Strong Verbs

Strong verbs form their past participle with:

ge- + (changed) stem + -en

Compare weak and strong verbs:

Type	Infinitive	Past Participle	Pattern
Weak (regular)	machen	gemacht	ge- + stem + -t
Strong (irregular)	sprechen	gesprochen	ge- + changed stem + -en

The key differences:

• Strong verbs end in -en (not -t)
• The stem vowel often changes
• You must memorise these forms — there is no single rule

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The Most Important Irregular Past Participles

Group 1: ei → ie