VerbA1

bleiben

to stay, remain (in a place) · to remain, continue to be (in a state) · to be left, remain (over)

Bleiben means to stay or remain in a place, state, or condition. It is one of the most common German verbs and is used both for physical staying and for continuing to be something. Learners often miss that it is an intransitive verb that forms its perfect tense with 'sein'.

What bleiben means

  1. to stay, remain (in a place) — When talking about not leaving a location.
  2. to remain, continue to be (in a state) — When describing that someone or something stays in a certain condition, often with an adjective or adverb.
  3. to be left, remain (over) — When saying that something is left or remains after others are gone or used.

Heard in real German videos

Lines where bleiben was actually spoken, from German videos watched with DeutschChat.

  • Lis möchte lieber zu Hause bleiben.Lis would rather stay home.
  • Ich muss ganz einfach hier stehen bleiben.I simply have to stay standing here.
  • Immer locker bleiben, Schwamm.Stay cool, sponge.

Example sentences

  • Ich bleibe heute zu Hause.I'm staying home today.
  • Bitte bleib ruhig.Please stay calm.
  • Wir sind noch zwei Tage in Berlin geblieben.We stayed in Berlin for two more days.
  • Es bleibt nur noch ein Stück Kuchen.There is only one piece of cake left.

Grammar

Present (ich/du/er)bleibe / bleibst / bleibt
Simple pastblieb
Perfectist geblieben
Separableno
Caseintransitive, no object

The perfect tense uses 'sein': 'Ich bin geblieben'. The simple past 'blieb' is common in written German.

Common phrases

  • stehen bleibento stop, stand still
  • ruhig bleibento stay calm
  • locker bleibento stay relaxed, keep cool
  • in Kontakt bleibento stay in touch
  • am Ball bleibento stay on the ball, keep at it

The mistake English speakers make

Using 'haben' instead of 'sein' in the perfect tense: 'Ich habe geblieben' is wrong; it must be 'Ich bin geblieben'.

Don’t confuse it with

  • sein — 'Sein' means 'to be' and describes a state, while 'bleiben' means 'to stay' or 'remain' in that state.
  • werden — 'Werden' means 'to become' and indicates a change, while 'bleiben' indicates no change.

Questions learners ask

How do I conjugate 'bleiben' in the present tense?

ich bleibe, du bleibst, er/sie/es bleibt, wir bleiben, ihr bleibt, sie/Sie bleiben.

What is the difference between 'bleiben' and 'wohnen'?

'Bleiben' means to stay temporarily, while 'wohnen' means to live somewhere permanently.

Is 'bleiben' a separable verb?

No, 'bleiben' is not separable. However, it is often used with separable prefixes in compound verbs like 'stehen bleiben' (to stop) or 'aufbleiben' (to stay up).