Skip to content
Otti streichelt vorsichtig das kleine Schaf. Otti carefully strokes the little sheep.

verb · A2

streicheln

[ˈʃtʁaɪ̯çl̩n]

to stroke, to pet

Learn This Word with Otti

My Note

With an account, you keep your own note to every word: a memory trick, an example of your own, where you heard it. Create an account

Already have an account? Log in.

Other Examples

  • Darf ich den Hund streicheln?

    May I stroke the dog?

    The tinted words form a set phrase: Darf ich?

  • Wenn du die Katze streichelst, schnurrt sie.

    When you stroke the cat, she purrs.

  • Wir streicheln die Kühe, und sie bleiben ganz ruhig.

    We stroke the cows and they stay completely calm.

  • Habt ihr die Ponys gestreichelt?

    Did you stroke the ponies?

  • Bruno und Emil streicheln das junge Pferd.

    Bruno and Emil stroke the young horse.

Grammar

Present
er/sie/es streichelt What happens now or usually.
Simple past (Präteritum)
er/sie/es streichelte The past in stories and in writing; in speech mostly with sein, haben and the modal verbs.
Perfect (Perfekt)
er/sie/es hat gestreichelt 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 streichelestreicheltehabe gestreichelt
du streichelststreicheltesthast gestreichelt
er/sie/es streicheltstreicheltehat gestreichelt
wir streichelnstreicheltenhaben gestreichelt
ihr streicheltstreicheltethabt gestreichelt
sie/Sie streichelnstreicheltenhaben gestreichelt
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 gestreicheltwerde streichelnwerde gestreichelt haben
du hattest gestreicheltwirst streichelnwirst gestreichelt haben
er/sie/es hatte gestreicheltwird streichelnwird gestreichelt haben
wir hatten gestreicheltwerden streichelnwerden gestreichelt haben
ihr hattet gestreicheltwerdet streichelnwerdet gestreichelt haben
sie/Sie hatten gestreicheltwerden streichelnwerden gestreichelt 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 streichelte
du streicheltest
er/sie/es streichelte
wir streichelten
ihr streicheltet
sie/Sie streichelten
Konjunktiv II
Wishes, polite requests and what isn't real.

The same as the Präteritum, so German mostly says "würde" + infinitive instead: ich würde streicheln.

Person Imperativ
du streichele!
ihr streichelt!
Sie streicheln Sie!
Imperativ
Requests and instructions to du, ihr and Sie.

How the Word Is Built

streichel root n ending

-n
the ending of the infinitive after -el or -er: wandern, sammeln.

Word family

In Otti's situations: Kalle and the animals

Other Dictionaries

The dictionary opens here from its own site, which then sees your IP address. Nothing loads before you choose one.

Learn these words with Otti

A few minutes a day; Otti brings each word back right before you would forget it.