Before you start
Meet bitten
Read how the verb is used, then write your own 10 sentences with it.
All 2 meanings
- (transitive or intransitive) to ask, to beg, to plead, to bid, to request [(optional) with accusative or bei (+ dative) ‘someone’, along with um (+ accusative) ‘for something, e.g. help, understanding, pardon, the next dance, etc.’; or (dated) with accusative ‘someone’ and accusative ‘for something’; or with accusative ‘someone’, along with zu (+ infinitive) ‘to do something’ or dass (+ clause) ‘that someone do something’]
- (transitive) to ask, to invite [with accusative ‘someone’, along with auf (+ accusative) ‘to something, e.g. (to have) a glass of wine’ or zu (+ dative) ‘to something, e.g. to dinner, to the table, etc.’ or in (+ accusative) ‘somewhere, e.g. (to come) into a room’]
Forms
How bitten changes
| Pronoun | Präsens | Präteritum |
|---|---|---|
| ich | bitte | bat |
| du | bittest | batest |
| er/sie/es | bittet | bat |
| wir | bitten | baten |
| ihr | bittet | batet |
| Sie | bitten | baten |
Partizip II gebeten · Perfekt with haben
Three examples
- 1Ich bitte dich um Wasser.I ask you for water.ask for something
- 2Wir haben den Lehrer um Hilfe gebeten.We asked the teacher for help.Perfekt with haben
- 3Sie bittet ihn, leise zu sein.She asks him to be quiet.ask someone to do something