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German - Verbs

Verbs are the engine of a German sentence, and understanding how they work is absolutely central to learning the language.

Here's a complete guide to German verbs, broken down into their key features.

The Core Concept: Conjugation

Like in other European languages, the ending of a German verb changes depending on who is performing the action (the subject). This is called conjugation. The basic, unconjugated form of a verb is the infinitive, which almost always ends in -en (e.g., machen - to do/make) or sometimes -n (wandern - to hike).

To conjugate a regular verb in the present tense, you:

  1. Find the stem by removing the -en ending.
  2. Add the correct personal ending.

Example: machen (to do/make) | Stem: mach-

Subject (Pronoun) Ending Conjugation English
ich (I) -e mache I do/make
du (you, informal) -st machst you do/make
er/sie/es (he/she/it) -t macht he/she/it does/makes
wir (we) -en machen we do/make
ihr (you, plural informal) -t macht you all do/make
sie/Sie (they/you, formal) -en machen they/you do/make

The Rule of Second Place: Verb Position

In a standard German statement, the conjugated verb is always the second element. This is a fundamental rule of German word order. The subject does not have to be the first element, but the verb must be the second.

  • Ich lerne heute Deutsch. (I am learning German today.)
  • Heute lerne ich Deutsch. (Today I am learning German.) - The verb lerne stays in second position.

Weak vs. Strong Verbs (Regular vs. Irregular)

German verbs are often categorized as "weak" or "strong."

  • Weak Verbs (Regular): These are predictable. They follow the standard conjugation patterns in all tenses. The stem of the verb never changes. Example: machen, lernen, kaufen.

  • Strong Verbs (Irregular): These are unpredictable. They often change the vowel sound in their stem, especially in the du and er/sie/es forms of the present tense and in the past tense. These must be memorized.

    Example: sprechen (to speak)

    • ich spreche
    • du sprichst (vowel changes from e to i)
    • er/sie/es spricht (vowel changes)
    • wir sprechen
    • ihr sprecht
    • sie/Sie sprechen

Other common strong verbs include sehen (to see), lesen (to read), geben (to give), and fahren (to drive).

Separable Prefix Verbs (Trennbare Verben)

German has many verbs made by attaching a small prefix to a base verb. Often, this prefix is separable. In the present tense, the prefix detaches from the verb and goes to the very end of the sentence.

Example: anrufen (to call on the phone)

  • Prefix: an | Base verb: rufen

  • Ich rufe dich an. (I am calling you.)

  • Wann rufst du deine Mutter an? (When are you calling your mother?)

Common separable prefixes include: an-, auf-, aus-, ein-, mit-, vor-, zu-.

Modal Verbs (Modalverben)

These are "helping" verbs that express ability, permission, obligation, etc. They modify another verb in the sentence. When a modal verb is used, it is conjugated and takes the second position, and the main verb is pushed to the end of the sentence in its infinitive form.

The main modal verbs are:

  • können (can, to be able to)
  • müssen (must, to have to)
  • sollen (should, ought to)
  • dürfen (may, to be allowed to)
  • wollen (to want to)
  • mögen (to like)

Example:

  • Ich kann Deutsch sprechen. (I can speak German.)
  • Wir müssen heute arbeiten. (We have to work today.)

The Three Most Important Verbs

Like in English, the verbs for "to be," "to have," and "to become" are highly irregular and absolutely essential.

sein (to be) haben (to have) werden (to become)
ich bin habe werde
du bist hast wirst
er/sie/es ist hat wird
wir sind haben werden
ihr seid habt werdet
sie/Sie sind haben werden

Tenses

  • Present Tense (Präsens): The most common tense, used for what is happening now, what is always true, and even for future events. (e.g., Ich lerne Deutsch.)

  • Conversational Past (Perfekt): Used to talk about the past in everyday speech. It's a compound tense formed with a helping verb (haben or sein) in the present tense + a past participle.

    • Ich habe Deutsch gelernt. (I have learned / I learned German.)
    • Ich bin nach Hause gegangen. (I have gone / I went home.)

  • Simple Past / Narrative Past (Präteritum): Used for the past in written German (books, articles) and in formal speech.

    • Ich lernte Deutsch. (I learned German.)

  • Future (Futur I): Formed with the verb werden + the infinitive of the main verb.

    • Ich werde Deutsch lernen. (I will learn German.)