Present Tense Verbs

 

Verbs are a vital part of every language and a sentence can't be made without one.  So, to be able to express statements, one must learn how to use a verb.  In German, the infinitive or not conjugated form a verb ends in "-en."  For example, the verb "haben" - to have, "sprechen" - to speak, or "gehen" - to go. 

 

To conjugate a regular verb in the present tense, simply remove the "-en" ending from the infinitive to find the root, and add an ending from the table below, which corresponds with the subject(s).  Ex.  The root of the verb "gehen" is "geh-". 

 

To conjugate for the 1. person singular (ich), "geh-" + "-e" = gehe.  Ich gehe - I go. 

For 2. person plural (ihr), "geh-" + "-t" = geht.  Ihr geht - you all go.

 

Notice for the 1. and 3. person plural that the ending turns the verb right back into the infinitive, meaning you don't have to conjugate the verb; you just have to remember it.  A reminder that the formal form of speech uses the 3. person plural form of the verb, or the infinitive.  Makes it easier to talk formally!

 

	Singular	Plural
1. person	-e	-en
2. person	-st	-t
3. person	-t	-en

Unfortunately not all verbs fall under the "regular" category, and we find verbs that don't seem to follow the regular pattern. 

 

In these cases, the endings stay the same, but the irregularity is found in the root of the 2. and 3. person singular forms of the verb.  With the verb "sprechen" we find this irregularity.  Ich spreche, du sprichst, er spricht, wir sprechen...  Notice that the 1. person singular and the plural forms follow the rules, but the 2. and 3. person singular root has a vowel change.

 

Dictionaries will note which verbs are irregular and what change is made to the root.  Verb tables are a more visual approach and are easier to reference.  I prefer the verb tables.

 

I would recommend drawing the "6-pack" formation of the above table (minus the top and side headings) and practising this with a list of common verbs so that you get used to conjugating them in every form.  Don't forget to include the pronouns!  You use them when you talk, so you should get used to seeing them together.  Another example is given below with the verb "zeigen" - to show. 

 

Because the verbs "haben" - to have and "sein" - to be, are so important to the rest of the language, I've put their conjugations in here.  They are also the most bizarre when it comes to conjugating them!

 

              Zeigen - to show                             Haben - to have                                 Sein - to be

ich zeige	wir zeigen
du zeigst	ihr zeigt
er, sie, es zeigt	Sie, sie zeigen

ich habe	wir haben
du hast	ihr habt
er, sie, es hat	Sie, si haben

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope that helps!  Good luck and have fun with it!

 

Deiter Molcak