Lesen

Lesen is a German verb meaning to read. It is used transitively with a direct object, as in “Ich lese ein Buch.” It can also describe reading aloud or reading about something in a broader sense. The past participle is gelesen, and it is formed with the auxiliary haben: “Ich habe das Buch gelesen.”

In the present tense, lesen follows a stem change: ich lese, du liest, er liest, wir lesen, ihr lest, sie lesen. The simple past (Präteritum) forms are ich las, du last, er las, wir lasen, ihr last, sie lasen. The Konjunktiv I (reported speech) is usually ich lese, du lesest, er lese, wir lesen, ihr leset, sie lesen. The Konjunktiv II (hypothetical) is typically ich läse, du läsest, er läse, wir läsen, ihr läset, sie läsen. Imperative forms include Lies! (du), Lest! (ihr), Lesen Sie! (Sie). Derivation via prefixes includes vorlesen (to read aloud) and überlesen (to skim or miss something while reading). Passive voice is formed with werden: Es wird gelesen.

The noun das Lesen refers to the act of reading. Related terms include Leser/Leserin (reader), Lesestoff (reading material), and Lese-/Lesen- as prefix in compounds. The verb is fundamental in education and literacy contexts, and it appears across everyday and literary language, from instructions to narrative prose. Common phrases include “lesen lernen” (to learn to read) and “jemandem vorlesen” (to read to someone).

Etymology traces lesen to Old High German and other Germanic roots, related to Dutch lezen. It belongs to the group of strong/mixed verbs that exhibit vowel variation in the present tense and a fixed past participle form.