Language/German/Grammar/Present-Tense
Հայերէն
Български език
官话
官話
Hrvatski jezik
Český jazyk
Nederlands
English
Suomen kieli
Français
עברית
हिन्दी
Magyar
Bahasa Indonesia
فارسی
Italiano
日本語
Қазақ тілі
한국어
Lietuvių kalba
Νέα Ελληνικά
Şimali Azərbaycanlılar
Język polski
Português
Limba Română
Русский язык
Српски
Español
العربية القياسية
Svenska
Wikang Tagalog
தமிழ்
ภาษาไทย
Türkçe
Українська мова
Urdu
Tiếng Việt
As a language learner, mastering present tense is a crucial milestone to express oneself in almost any situation in daily life. In this lesson, we will focus on the present tense and learn how to use it with regular and irregular verbs.
Regular Verbs
Regular verbs follow a well-defined pattern when conjugated in present tense. In order to conjugate a regular verb, all you need to do is to remove the "-en" ending from the infinitive form, and add the appropriate ending according to the subject pronoun. Here are the endings:
| Subject Pronouns | Ending |
|---|---|
| Ich (I) | -e |
| Du (You, informal singular) | -st |
| Er, Sie, Es (He, She, It) | -t |
| Wir (We) | -en |
| Ihr (You, informal plural) | -t |
| Sie (You, formal plural) | -en |
As an example, let's take the verb "tanzen" (to dance):
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ich tanze | ɪç ˈtant͡sə | I dance |
| Du tanzt | duː ˈtant͡st | You dance (informal singular) |
| Er tanzt | ɛɐ̯ ˈtant͡st | He dances |
| Sie tanzt | ziː ˈtant͡st | She dances |
| Es tanzt | ɛs ˈtant͡st | It dances |
| Wir tanzen | vɪɐ̯ ˈtant͡sn̩ | We dance |
| Ihr tanzt | iːɐ̯ ˈtant͡st | You dance (informal plural) |
| Sie tanzen | ziː ˈtant͡sn̩ | You dance (formal plural) |
Note that verbs ending with "-ieren" are also considered regular when it comes to present tense conjugation. In this case, we remove the "-ieren" ending and add "-iere" for the "Ich" form and "-ieren" for the rest of the subject pronouns. Let's take the verb "studieren" (to study) as an example:
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ich studiere | ɪç ʃtuˈdiːʁə | I study |
| Du studierst | duː ʃtuˈdiːʁst | You study (informal singular) |
| Er studiert | ɛɐ̯ ʃtuˈdiːʁt | He studies |
| Sie studiert | ziː ʃtuˈdiːʁt | She studies |
| Es studiert | ɛs ʃtuˈdiːʁt | It studies |
| Wir studieren | vɪɐ̯ ʃtuˈdiːʁən | We study |
| Ihr studiert | iːɐ̯ ʃtuˈdiːʁt | You study (informal plural) |
| Sie studieren | ziː ʃtuˈdiːʁən | You study (formal plural) |
Irregular Verbs
Unlike Regular verbs, irregular verbs have a unique conjugation pattern depending on the verb root. There is no specific rule to apply to conjugate an irregular verb, but with practice, you will learn how to conjugate the most common ones with ease.
Here is a list of the most commonly used irregular verbs in German and their conjugation in present tense:
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ich bin | ɪç bɪn | I am |
| Du bist | duː bɪst | You are (informal singular) |
| Er ist | ɛɐ̯ ɪst | He is |
| Sie ist | ziː ɪst | She is |
| Es ist | ɛs ɪst | It is |
| Wir sind | vɪɐ̯ zɪnt | We are |
| Ihr seid | iːɐ̯ zaɪt | You are (informal plural) |
| Sie sind | ziː zɪnt | You are (formal plural) |
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ich habe | ɪç ˈhabe | I have |
| Du hast | duː ˈhast | You have (informal singular) |
| Er hat | ɛɐ̯ ˈhat | He has |
| Sie hat | ziː ˈhat | She has |
| Es hat | ɛs ˈhat | It has |
| Wir haben | vɪɐ̯ ˈhabən | We have |
| Ihr habt | iːɐ̯ ˈhabt | You have (informal plural) |
| Sie haben | ziː ˈhabən | You have (formal plural) |
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ich gehe | ɪç ˈɡeːə | I go |
| Du gehst | duː ˈɡeːst | You go (informal singular) |
| Er geht | ɛɐ̯ ɡeːt | He goes |
| Sie geht | ziː ɡeːt | She goes |
| Es geht | ɛs ɡeːt | It goes |
| Wir gehen | vɪɐ̯ ˈɡeːən | We go |
| Ihr geht | iːɐ̯ ɡeːt | You go (informal plural) |
| Sie gehen | ziː ˈɡeːən | You go (formal plural) |
Common Situations
Knowing how to use present tense in common situations is essential for effective communication in German. Here are a few examples:
- Expressing likes and dislikes: "Ich mag Musik" (I like music), "Ich mag keine Tomaten" (I don't like tomatoes).
- Talking about habits: "Ich gehe jeden Morgen zur Arbeit" (I go to work every morning), "Er trägt immer eine Brille" (He always wears glasses).
- Describing a condition: "Sie ist müde" (She is tired), "Er ist krank" (He is sick).
- Expressing opinions: "Ich denke, dass es gut ist" (I think it's good), "Sie findet, dass es langweilig ist" (She thinks it's boring).
Exercises
To practice present tense, here are a few exercises you can try:
- Conjugate the following regular verbs: "sprechen" (to speak), "spielen" (to play), "kaufen" (to buy).
- Conjugate the following irregular verbs: "machen" (to do/make), "wissen" (to know), "fahren" (to drive).
- Write a short paragraph about your daily routine using present tense.
- Write a short paragraph about your favorite hobby using present tense.
Summary
In this lesson, we learned how to use present tense with regular and irregular verbs in common situations. We also practiced conjugating both types of verbs. Present tense is fundamental to communicating in German, and with practice, you will become more comfortable using it.
Sources
Videos
The German Present Tense Explained | A1 Beginner - YouTube
The Present Perfect Tense: German Strong Verbs - YouTube
German Irregular (Strong) Verbs Present Tense - YouTube