Verbs: Present Tense

01

Regular Conjugation

To conjugate a regular verb, start with the infinitive (the dictionary form), which almost always ends in -en (e.g., machen, kaufen). Remove the -en to get the stem, then add the following endings:

• ich (I): add -e
• du (you, informal): add -st
• er/sie/es (he/she/it): add -t
• wir (we): add -en
• ihr (you all, informal): add -t
• sie/Sie (they/formal You): add -en

Note that the wir and sie (plural) forms are identical to the infinitive.

• Ich kaufe einen Apfel.

  I am buying an apple.

• Wir machen das Fenster auf.

  We are opening the window.

• Ihr lernt sehr schnell.

  You guys learn very fast.

02

Spelling Adjustments

Pronunciation rules sometimes require slight changes to the spelling of the stem:

Stems ending in -t or -d

If the verb stem ends in -t or -d (like arbeiten or finden), an extra -e- is inserted before endings that start with s or t. This makes the word pronounceable.

• Du arbeitest heute.

  You are working today.

• Er findet den Weg.

  He finds the path.

Stems ending in -s, -ß, -z

If the stem ends in a sibilant sound (-s, -ß, -z, or -x), the du form drops the s from the ending. It simply adds -t instead of -st.

• Du tanzt gut.

  You dance well.

• Der Hund beißt nicht.

  The dog does not bite.

03

Strong Verbs (Vowel Changes)

Many common verbs are "strong" or irregular. While they use the same endings as regular verbs, the vowel in the stem changes. This change only happens in the singular forms du and er/sie/es. The plural forms remain regular.

a becomes ä

Verbs like fahren (to drive), schlafen (to sleep), or tragen (to carry).

• Du fährst zu schnell.

  You are driving too fast.

• Das Baby schläft.

  The baby is sleeping.

e becomes i

Verbs like geben (to give), sprechen (to speak), or essen (to eat).

• Er spricht Deutsch.

  He speaks German.

• Gibst du mir das Buch?

  Are you giving me the book?

e becomes ie

Verbs like sehen (to see) or lesen (to read).

• Sie sieht den Film.

  She is watching the film.

• Liest du die Zeitung?

  Are you reading the newspaper?

04

Important Irregular Verbs

The verbs sein (to be) and haben (to have) are the most common verbs in the language and follow their own unique patterns. They must be memorized.

Sein (to be)

ich bin, du bist, er ist, wir sind, ihr seid, sie sind.

Haben (to have)

ich habe, du hast, er hat, wir haben, ihr habt, sie haben. Note that the b disappears in the du and er/sie/es forms.

• Wir sind glücklich.

  We are happy.

• Er hat keine Zeit.

  He has no time.

05

Using the Present for the Future

In German, it is very common to use the present tense to talk about the future, provided there is a time indicator (like "tomorrow" or "next week") in the sentence.

• Morgen fliege ich nach Berlin.

  Tomorrow I am flying to Berlin.

• Nächste Woche besuchen wir Oma.

  Next week we are visiting Grandma.

06

Expressing Duration

When an action started in the past and is still continuing now, English uses the perfect tense ("I have been living..."). German uses the present tense combined with the word seit (since/for).

• Ich wohne seit drei Jahren hier.

  I have been living here for three years.

• Wir warten schon lange.

  We have been waiting for a long time.