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Ottis Chefin zögert kurz, bevor sie antwortet. Otti's boss hesitates for a moment before she answers.

verb · B2

zögern

[ˈt͡søːɡɐn]

to hesitate

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Other Examples

Grammar

Present
er/sie/es zögert What happens now or usually.
Simple past (Präteritum)
er/sie/es zögerte The past in stories and in writing; in speech mostly with sein, haben and the modal verbs.
Perfect (Perfekt)
er/sie/es hat gezögert 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 zögerezögertehabe gezögert
du zögerstzögertesthast gezögert
er/sie/es zögertzögertehat gezögert
wir zögernzögertenhaben gezögert
ihr zögertzögertethabt gezögert
sie/Sie zögernzögertenhaben gezögert
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 gezögertwerde zögernwerde gezögert haben
du hattest gezögertwirst zögernwirst gezögert haben
er/sie/es hatte gezögertwird zögernwird gezögert haben
wir hatten gezögertwerden zögernwerden gezögert haben
ihr hattet gezögertwerdet zögernwerdet gezögert haben
sie/Sie hatten gezögertwerden zögernwerden gezögert 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 zögerte
du zögertest
er/sie/es zögerte
wir zögerten
ihr zögertet
sie/Sie zögerten
Konjunktiv II
Wishes, polite requests and what isn't real.

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

Person Imperativ
du zögere!
ihr zögert!
Sie zögern Sie!
Imperativ
Requests and instructions to du, ihr and Sie.

How the Word Is Built

zöger root n ending

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

Word family

zögerlich

In Otti's situations: Otti asks for a pay rise

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