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Frau Hilde asks Otti for a glass of water.
Frau Hilde bittet Otti um ein Glas Wasser. Frau Hilde asks Otti for a glass of water.

verb · A1

bitten

[ˈbɪtn̩]

to ask, to request

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Other Examples

  • Darf ich Sie um etwas bitten?

    May I ask you a favour?

    The tinted words form a set phrase: Darf ich?

  • Bittest du Bruno um das Rezept?

    Are you going to ask Bruno for the recipe?

  • Wir bitten den Kellner um die Speisekarte.

    We ask the waiter for the menu.

  • Bittet ihr Lotte um Hilfe?

    Will you ask Lotte for help?

  • Die Kinder bitten um ein Eis.

    The children ask for an ice cream.

Grammar

Present
er/sie/es bittet What happens now or usually.
Simple past (Präteritum)
er/sie/es bat The past in stories and in writing; in speech mostly with sein, haben and the modal verbs.
Perfect (Perfekt)
er/sie/es hat gebeten The past in conversation. Verbs of movement or change take "ist", most others "hat".

Conjugation

The verb in every person; under each table, when German uses it.

Indikativ
Person Präsens Präteritum Perfekt
ich bittebathabe gebeten
du bittestbatesthast gebeten
er/sie/es bittetbathat gebeten
wir bittenbatenhaben gebeten
ihr bittetbatethabt gebeten
sie/Sie bittenbatenhaben gebeten
Präsens
What happens now or usually; with a time word also the future.
Präteritum
The past in stories and in writing; in speech mostly with sein, haben and the modal verbs.
Perfekt
The past in conversation.
More Tenses and Moods
Indikativ
Person Plusquamperfekt Futur I Futur II
ich hatte gebetenwerde bittenwerde gebeten haben
du hattest gebetenwirst bittenwirst gebeten haben
er/sie/es hatte gebetenwird bittenwird gebeten haben
wir hatten gebetenwerden bittenwerden gebeten haben
ihr hattet gebetenwerdet bittenwerdet gebeten haben
sie/Sie hatten gebetenwerden bittenwerden gebeten haben
Plusquamperfekt
What had happened before another moment in the past.
Futur I
Plans, promises and guesses about the future; often the Präsens is enough.
Futur II
What will be finished by a moment in the future, or a guess about the past.
Person Konjunktiv II
ich bäte
du bätest
er/sie/es bäte
wir bäten
ihr bätet
sie/Sie bäten
Konjunktiv II
Wishes, polite requests and what isn't real.
Person Imperativ
du bitte!
ihr bittet!
Sie bitten Sie!
Imperativ
Requests and instructions to du, ihr and Sie.

How the Word Is Built

bitt root en ending

-en
the ending of the infinitive, the form of a verb in the dictionary.

Word family

die Bitte

In Otti's situations: Frau Hilde tells stories

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