11 Section 1-11
1–11: Present Tense—Regular Verbs
So far, you have learned how to conjugate the verbs sein and haben, the two most important verbs in the German language. Both of them are irregular, and their conjugations had to be memorized. Most other verbs in German are not irregular and have a set pattern of endings.
What is verb conjugation in English? Putting certain endings on verbs so that they match up with their subjects!
As a native English speaker, you may not realize that you conjugate verbs every day when speaking. Compare the following sentences:
- I play basketball. (No ending on “play”)
- She plays basketball. (-s at end of “play”)
If you grew up learning English, you probably don’t notice that you automatically do this; you naturally can sense what sounds correct when speaking.
Below are some common regular verbs in their infinitive form (aka. unconjugated form. All German infinitives end in –en (99% of all verbs) or -n (<1%).
You have already memorized a few phrases that had conjugated verbs in them. You may have wondered why the ending of the verb changed in different sentences.
- Ich komme aus Berlin. I come from Berlin.
- Er wohnt in England. He lives in England.
- Sie heißt Sophia. She is called Sophia.
The infinitive (unconjugated form) of each verb has two parts. We will use the verb lernen as an example.
Stem: lern–
Ending: –en
In German, the following verb endings are used for the present tense of regular verbs.
|
ich→-e |
wir→–en (same as infinitive) |
|
du→ –st |
ihr→ -t |
|
er/sie/es→ -t |
sie/Sie→ -en (same as infinitive) |
How to conjugate a German verb.
Step 1: Take off the ending (-en or -n).
Step 2: Add a new ending that matches the subject.
Let’s try it with a few verbs from the list.
|
Conjugate reisen for “ich.” |
Conjugate singen for “du.” |
|
Step 1: Take off the –en→ reis- |
Step 1: Take off the –en → sing– |
|
Step 2: Add the new ending→ –e |
Step 2: Add the new ending→ –st |
|
Conjugated verb: Ich reise. |
Conjugated verb: Du singst. |
Click the link to watch me reteaching this.
Ex. A: Verben. Use the steps for conjugating verbs to complete the tables below.
|
Conjugate spielen for “wir.” |
Conjugate machen for “du.” |
|
Step 1: |
Step 1: |
|
Step 2: |
Step 2: |
|
Conjugated verb: |
Conjugated verb: |
|
Conjugate bleiben for “er.” |
Conjugate schwimmen for “Sie.” |
|
Step 1: |
Step 1: |
|
Step 2: |
Step 2: |
|
Conjugated verb: |
Conjugated verb: |
|
Conjugate fragen for “ihr.” |
Conjugate joggen for “sie” (sing.) |
|
Step 1: |
Step 1: |
|
Step 2: |
Step 2: |
|
Conjugated verb: |
Conjugated verb: |
|
Conjugate gehen for “ich.” |
Conjugate schreiben for “er.” |
|
Step 1: |
Step 1: |
|
Step 2: |
Step 2: |
|
Conjugated verb: |
Conjugated verb: |
Video. Easy German: Conjugation of Regular Verbs “sagen,” “machen,” “hören.” Watch to see some examples of these verbs conjugated.
Ex. B: Now try conjugating some verbs for all forms. Fill in the tables below.
- kochen—to cook
|
ich |
wir |
|
du |
ihr |
|
er/sie/es |