Les Jerman Verbs

7/31/2019 Les Jerman Verbs

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1. The present tense and the infinitive

The present tense of German verbs is formed from the infinitive of the verb. This is the part of speechwhich equates to the English "to do", "to speak"etc. In German, the infinitive almost always ends in "-en". To construct the individual forms, we remove the "-en" from the infinitive and add personal endingswhich link the verb with the subject in terms of person (i.e. first, second or third person) or number (i.e.

singular or plural). We say that the verb 'agrees' with the subject, in that German verbs show the personand the number of the subject of the verb by means of their endings.

The verb endings for the present tense of the regular or 'weak' German verb machen (to do) are asfollows:

Table 1: Present tense of "machen"

Singular

ich mache I do

du machst

Sie machen

You do(informal/formal)

er/sie/es macht He/she/it does

Plural

wir machen We do

ihr macht

Sie machen


sie machen They do

Unlike in English, there is only form of the present tense in German. There is no continuous present -"ich mache" is used to translate both "I do" and "I am doing".

German pronouns

When learning the German pronouns, note that:

The German pronoun "ich" does not start with a capital letter, unlike its English equivalent "I". The third person pronouns "er", "sie" and "es" can refer to persons. However they also

substitute for all masculine, feminine and neuter nouns respectively, regardless of whether theyare persons or things.

Note that the pronoun "sie" can either mean "she"or"they"depending on context. And when itbegins with a capital letter "Sie" is the formal form of"you"! Be very careful how you use this

pronoun.

Sie or du?

The familiar or informal form "du" is used when talking to relatives, close friends and children. It does not start with a capital letter. The plural of"du" is "ihr". The formal form "Sie" is used when you need to be more polite. It is the usual form of address when talking to an adult whom you don't know well or at all.


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A child would always say "Sie" to an adult outside his or her own family. "Sie" always starts with a capital letter. The plural form of"Sie" is also "Sie".

Verbs with a stem ending in -ierenGerman verbs whose infinitive stem ends in -ieren have the same endings as regular German verbs.

Table 3: Present tense of "telefonieren"

Singular

ich telefoniere I telephone

du telefonierst

Sie telefonieren

You telephone(informal/formal)

er/sie/es telefoniert He/she/it telephones

Pluralwir telefonieren We telephone

ihr telefoniert

Sie telefonieren

You telephone(informal/formal)

sie telefonieren They telephone

2. Verbs with a stem ending in -z, -ss, -, -s and -x

Basic conjugation rule

German verbs whose infinitive stem ends in -z, -ss, -, -s and -x add -t and not -stin the "du" form of thepresent tense.

2.1 Verbs with a stem in ending in -z

These verbs include chzen (to groan), beizen (to steep, to treat), beschmutzen (to make dirty), blitzen(to flash), duzen (to say "du" to someone), ergnzen (to complete), faulenzen (to laze about), geizen (tobe miserly), glnzen (to gleam, to shine), grenzen (to border), heizen (to heat), hetzen (to hound),jauchzen (to cheer), krchzen (to croak), kratzen (to scratch), kreuzen (to cross), krzen (to shorten),lechzen (to pant), nutzen (to be of use, to use), pflanzen (to plant), platzen (to burst), putzen (to clean),reizen (to irritate, to stimulate), schtzen (to estimate), scherzen (to joke), schluchzen (to sob),schmerzen (to hurt), schnalzen (to crack, to click), schnuzen (to blow one's nose), schnitzen (to cut),schtzen (to protect), schwrzen (to blacken), schwatzen (to chatter), schwitzen (to sweat), setzen (toput), seufzen (to groan), siezen (to say "Sie" to someone), spitzen (to sharpen), spritzen (to inject),strotzen (to be full), sttzen (to support), stutzen (to trim; to hesitate), tanzen (to dance), trotzen (todefy), verletzen (to injure), verschmutzen (to pollute), wlzen (to roll, to writhe), wrzen (to spice).

Table 1: Present tense of "tanzen"

Singular

ich tanze I dance


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du tanzt

Sie tanzen

You dance(informal/formal)

er/sie/es tanzt He/she/it dances

Plural

wir tanzen We dance

ihr tanztSie tanzen

You dance(informal/formal)

sie tanzen They dance

2.2 Verbs with a stem in ending in -ss

These include beeinflussen (to influence), erpressen (to blackmail), fassen (to seize, to grasp), hassen(to hate), hissen (to hoist), kssen (to kiss), passen (to fit, to suit), stressen (to put under stress),

verblassen (to fade), vermissen (to miss).Table 2: Present tense of "kssen"

Singular

ich ksse I kiss

du ksst

Sie kssen

You kiss(informal/formal)

er/sie/es ksst He/she/it kisses

Plural

wir kssen We kiss

ihr ksst

Sie kssen

You kiss(informal/formal)

sie kssen They kiss

2.3 Verbs with a stem in ending in -

These include beien (to bite), ben (to atone, to pay for), einflen (to instil into someone),entblen (to expose), flieen (to flow), fuen (to be based on), gren (to greet), heien (to be called),mutmaen (to conjecture), ruen (to smoke, to produce soot), schweien (to weld), spaen (to joke),sen (to sweeten).

Table 3: Present tense of "heien"

Singular

ich heie I am called

du heit

Sie heien

You are called(informal/formal)


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er/sie/es heit He/she/it is called

Plural

wir heien We are called

ihr heit

Sie heien

You are called(informal/formal)

sie heien They are called

2.4 Verbs with a stem in ending in -s

These include brausen (to roar, to thunder), bremsen (to brake), dsen (to doze), einheimsen (to collect,to rake in), entgleisen (to be derailed; to misbehave), grasen (to graze), grinsen (to grin), hausen (tolive; to wreak), hopsen (to hop), knipsen (to punch, to clip), kreisen (to circle), leasen (to lease), lsen(to remove; to buy), losen (to draw lots), niesen (to sneeze), piepsen (to bleep; to chirrup), rasen (torace),

reisen(to travel),

schmausen(to feast),

speisen(to dine),

tosen(to roar, to rage),

verharmlosen(to play down), verlosen (to raffle), verwahrlosen (to fall into disrepair), verzinsen (to pay interest in),weisen (to point).

Table 4: Present tense of "reisen"

Singular

ich reise I travel

du reist

Sie reisen

You travel(informal/formal)

er/sie/es reist He/she/it travels

Pluralwir reisen We travel

ihr reist

Sie reisen

You travel(informal/formal)

sie reisen They travel

2.5 Verbs with a stem in ending in -x

These include boxen (to box), faxen (to fax), fixen (to fix, to shoot up (drugs)), hexen (to practisewitchcraft), mixen (to mix), relaxen (to relax).

Table 5: Present tense of "boxen"

Singular

ich boxe I box

du boxt

Sie boxen

You box(informal/formal)


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er/sie/es boxt He/she/it boxes

Plural

wir boxen We box

ihr boxt

Sie boxen

You box(informal/formal)

sie boxen They box

2.6 Imported verbs with a stem in ending in -c

These endings are also found in the present tense verbs with a stem in -c that have recently been importedfrom English.

Table 6: Present tense of "outsourcen"

Singularich source out I outsource

du sourctout

Sie sourcen out

You outsource(informal/formal)

er/sie/es sourctout He/she/it outsources

Plural

wir sourcen out We outsource

ihr sourctout

Sie sourcen out

You outsource(informal/formal)

sie sourcen out They outsource3. Verbs with a stem ending in -d

In the present tense, German verbs whose infinitive stem ends in -d:

add -est and not -stin the "du" form add -et and not -tin the "er/sie/es" form add -et and not -tin the "ihr" form

Table 1: Present tense of "reden"

Singular

ich rede I speakdu redest

Sie reden

You speak(informal/formal)

er/sie/es redet He/she/it speaks

Plural

wir reden We speak

ihr redet You speak


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Sie reden (informal/formal)

sie reden They speak

Table 2: Present tense of "melden"

Singularich melde I report

du meldest

Sie melden

You report(informal/formal)

er/sie/es meldet He/she/it reports

Plural

wir melden We report

ihr meldet

Sie melden

You report(informal/formal)

sie melden They report

Verbs with a stem in ending in -d include:

A-E: ahnden (to avenge, to punish), aufbrden (to encumber), baden (to bathe), beenden (to end),beneiden (to envy), bilden (to form), binden (to tie), blenden (to dazzle), downloaden (to download),dulden (to tolerate), enden (to end), erkunden (to find out, to reconnoitre), ermorden (to murder),ermden (to tire)

F-M: fahnden (to search for), sich gebrden (to conduct oneself), gefhrden (to endanger), grnden

(to found), kleiden (to dress), landen (to land), melden (to report), mnden (to flow into, to lead)

N-S:pfnden (to impound), reden (to speak), roden (to clear), runden (to round), schaden (to damage),schmieden (to forge), schneiden (to cut), schulden (to owe), senden (to send), sieden (to boil), spenden(to donate), stranden (to run aground, to be stranded), stunden (to give someone time to pay)

T-Z: verabschieden (to say goodbye to), verfremden (to defamiliarize), vergeuden (to waste),verschwenden (to waste), verschwinden (to disappear), verwunden (to wound), vollenden (tocomplete), wenden (to turn), znden (to ignite).

Verbs with a stem ending in -t

In the present tense, German verbs whose infinitive stem ends in -t equally:



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Table 3: Present tense of "arbeiten"

Singular

ich arbeite I work

du arbeitest

Sie arbeiten

You work(informal/formal)

er/sie/es arbeitet He/she/it worksPlural

wir arbeiten We work

ihr arbeitet

Sie arbeiten

You work(informal/formal)

sie arbeiten They work

Table 4: Present tense of "warten"

Singularich warte I wait

du wartest

Sie warten

You wait(informal/formal)

er/sie/es wartet He/she/it waits

Plural

wir warten We wait

ihr wartet

Sie warten

You wait(informal/formal)

sie arbeiten They wait

Verbs with a stem in ending in -t include:

A-E:achten (to respect), antworten (to answer), arbeiten (to work), auflisten (to list), ausbeuten (toexploit), ausbooten (to kick out), ausbreiten (to spread out), auskundschaften (to find out), ausmisten(to muck out), ausrotten (to eradicate), ausstatten (to equip), befristen (to limit), begleiten (toaccompany), begutachten (to give expert advice about), behaupten (to assert), beichten (to confess),bekleiden (to dress, to clothe), belasten (to burden), belichten (to expose), beobachten (to observe),bereiten (to prepare), beten (to pray), bewerten (to evaluate), bewirten (to feed; to entertain), bitten (to

ask), bluten (to bleed), brsten (to boast), brten (to brood), brsten (to brush), dichten (to write, tocompose), deuten (to point), duften (to smell), dnsten (to steam, to stew), entkrften (to weaken; torefute), sich erklten (to catch a cold), ernten (to harvest), errten (to blush)

F-M: falten (to fold), flirten (to flirt), flchten (to flee), frchten (to fear), gestalten (to shape),gestatten (to permit), gewhrleisten (to guarantee), haften (to be legally responsible), hrten (toharden), hasten (to hurry), heften (to pin, to fix), heiraten (to marry), horten (to hoard), husten (tocough), hten (to look after), kneten (to knead), knoten (to knot), kosten (to cost), luten (to ring),lauten (to be, to amount to), leisten (to achieve), leiten (to lead), leuchten (to shine), lften (to air),


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mieten (to rent, to hire)

N-S:pachten (to lease), punkten (to score points), pusten (to puff, to blow), retten (to save), richten(to direct, to focus), rosten (to rust), rsten (to arm), schalten (to switch), schlachten (to slaughter),schlichten (to mediate, to arbitrate), schmachten (to languish, to pine), schtten (to pour), sichten (tolook through), spalten (to split), spotten (to mock), spurten (to spurt), starten (to start), stiften (to

found, to donate)T-Z:tasten (to feel, to grope), testen (to test), tten (to kill), trachten (to strive), trsten (to console),bernachten (to spend the night), veralten (to grow old), veranstalten (to organize), verarzten (topatch up), verbluten (to bleed to death), verbreiten (to spread), verdursten (to die of thirst), verhaften(to arrest), verkraften (to cope with), vermarkten (to market), vermuten (to assume), vernichten (todestroy), verpflichten (to oblige, to commit), verrichten (to perform, to carry out), sich verspten (to belate), verunstalten (to disfigure, to scar), verwsten (to devastate, to ravage), verzichten (to dowithout), vorbereiten (to prepare), warten (to wait), werten (to rate), wetten (to bet), wirtschaften (toeconomize), wten (to rage), zchten (to breed).

These verbs with a stem in -talso include a number of verbs recently imported from English: babysitten

(to baby-sit), chatten (to chat),jetten (to jet), layouten (to layout), sich outen (to out oneself),promoten (to promote), toasten (to toast).

Table 5: Present tense of "chatten"

Singular

ich chatte I chat

du chattest

Sie chatten

You chat(informal/formal)

er/sie/es chattet He/she/it chats

Plural

wir chatten We chat

ihr chattet

Sie chatten

You chat(informal/formal)

sie chatten They chat

4. Verbs with a stem ending in consonant + n

In the present tense, German verbs whose infinitive stem ends in consonant + n:


Such verbs include begegnen (to meet), bewaffnen (to arm), sich eignen (to be suitable), entgegnen (toreply), sich ereignen (to happy), leugnen (to deny), ffnen (to open), ordnen (to order, to organize),rechnen (to calculate), regnen (to rain), segnen (to bless), trocknen (to dry), vervollkommnen (toperfect), sich wappnen (to prepare oneself), zeichnen (to draw).

Table 1: Present tense of "zeichnen"

Singular


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ich zeichne I draw

du zeichnest

Sie zeichnen

You draw(informal/formal)

er/sie/es zeichnet He/she/it draws

Plural

wir zeichnen We drawihr zeichnet

Sie zeichnen

You draw(informal/formal)

sie zeichnen They draw

Table 2: Present tense of "leugnen"

Singular

ich leugne I deny

du leugnestSie leugnen You deny(informal/formal)

er/sie/es leugnet He/she/it denies

Plural

wir leugnen We deny

ihr leugnet

Sie leugnen

You deny(informal/formal)

sie leugnen They deny

Normal present tense endings are applied however:

if the -n in the stem of the verb follows lorri.e. in verbs such as "lernen" (to learn) if the -n in the stem of the verb follows anothern i.e. in verbs such as "gewinnen" (to win) if the -n in the stem of the verb is preceded by a vowel i.e. in verbs such as "weinen" (to cry) or

"scheinen" (to appear)

Table 3: Present tense of "lernen"

Singular

ich lerne I learn

du lernstSie lernen

You learn(informal/formal)

er/sie/es lernt He/she/it learns

Plural

wir lernen We learn

ihr lernt

Sie lernen

You learn(informal/formal)

sie lernen They learn


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Table 4: Present tense of "gewinnen"

Singular

ich gewinne I win

du gewinnstSie gewinnen You win(informal/formal)

er/sie/es gewinnt He/she/it wins

Plural

wir gewinnen We cry

ihr gewinnt

Sie gewinnen

You win(informal/formal)

sie gewinnen They win

Table 5: Present tense of "weinen"

Singular

ich weine I cry

du weinst

Sie weinen

You cry(informal/formal)

er/sie/es weint He/she/it cries

Plural

wir weinen We cry

ihr weint

Sie weinen

You cry(informal/formal)

sie weinen They cry

Verbs with a stem ending in consonant + m

In the present tense, German verbs whose infinitive stem ends in consonant + m equally:

add -est and not -stin the "du" form

add -et and not -tin the "er/sie/es" form add -et and not -tin the "ihr" form

Table 6: Present tense of "atmen"

Singular

ich atme I breathe

du atmest

Sie atmen

You breathe(informal/formal)


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er/sie/es atmet He/she/it breathes

Plural

wir atmen We breathe

ihr atmet

Sie atmen

You breathe(informal/formal)

sie atmen They breathe

Table 7: Present tense of "widmen"

Singular

ich widme I dedicate

du widmest

Sie widmen

You dedicate(informal/formal)

er/sie/es widmet He/she/it dedicates

Pluralwir widmen We dedicate

ihr widmet

Sie widmen

You dedicate(informal/formal)

sie widmen They dedicate

Normal present tense endings are applied however:

if the -m in the stem of the verb follows lorri.e. in verbs such as "verfilmen" (to film) or"strmen" (to storm)

if the -m in the stem of the verb follows anotherm i.e. in verbs such as "summen" (to hum) if the -m in the stem of the verb is preceded by a vowel i.e. in verbs such as "reimen" (to rhyme)

or "rmen" (to clear away)

Table 8: Present tense of "verfilmen"

Singular

ich verfilme I film

du verfilmst

Sie verfilmen

You film(informal/formal)

er/sie/es verfilmt He/she/it films

Plural

wir verfilmen We film

ihr verfilmt

Sie verfilmen

You film(informal/formal)

sie verfilmen They film


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Table 9: Present tense of "summen"

Singular

ich summe I hum

du summst

Sie summen

You hum(informal/formal)

er/sie/es summt He/she/it humsPlural

wir summen We hum

ihr summt

Sie summen

You hum(informal/formal)

sie summen They hum

Table 10: Present tense of "rumen"

Singularich rume I clear away

du rumst

Sie rumen

You clear away(informal/formal)

er/sie/es rumt He/she/it clears away

Plural

wir rumen We clear away

ihr rumt

Sie rumen

You clear away(informal/formal)

sie rumen They clear away

5. Verbs ending in -eln

In the present tense, German verbs whose infinitive stem ends in -eln form their present tense byremoving the -n of the stem and adding the normal endings. Note however:

that the -e of the stem is omitted in the first person singular - i.e. ich klingle, ich sammle that the "wir" ending on such verbs is -n, not -en that the formal "Sie" ending is also -n that the third person plural ending is also -n, not -en

Table 1: Present tense of "klingeln"

Singular

ich klingle I ring

du klingelst

Sie klingeln

You ring(informal/formal)

er/sie/es klingelt He/she/it rings

Plural


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wir klingeln We ring

ihr klingelt

Sie klingeln

You ring(informal/formal)

sie klingeln They ring

Table 2: Present tense of "sammeln"

Singular

ich sammle I collect

du sammelst

Sie sammeln

You collect(informal/formal)

er/sie/es sammelt He/she/it collects

Plural

wir sammeln We collect

ihr sammeltSie sammeln You collect(informal/formal)

sie sammeln They collect

Other verbs with a stem in ending in -eln include:

A-E:abwiegeln (to calm down), hneln (to resemble), angeln (to go fishing), anzetteln (to instigate),aufwiegeln (to stir up), basteln (to make things with your hands), baumeln (to dangle), behandeln (totreat), bemngeln (to find fault with), besiegeln (to seal), blinzeln (to blink), brckeln (to crumble),bgeln (to iron), bummeln (to stroll), einkesseln (to encircle), ekeln (to disgust), entwickeln (to

develop), entwurzeln (to uproot), erdrosseln (to throttle), ermitteln (to determine)

F-M:fesseln (to tie, to bind), frsteln (to shiver), fummeln (to fiddle, to fumble), gipfeln (to culminate),grbeln (to brood), gruseln (to give the creeps), gurgeln (to gargle, to gurgle), hageln (to hail), hkeln(to crochet), handeln (to act), htscheln (to pamper), heucheln (to be a hypocrite), hobeln (to plane),humpeln (to hobble, to limp), hsteln (to cough slightly), jobeln (to yodel), jubeln (to celebrate),kitzeln (to tickle), klingeln (to ring), knebeln (to gag), krnkeln (to be poorly), kribbeln (to tickle),kritzeln (to scribble), lcheln (to smile), mkeln (to carp, to cavil), mangeln (to lack), maregeln (toreprimand), mogeln (to cheat), murmeln (to murmur)

N-S:nieseln (to drizzle), nrgeln (to moan, to crumble), pendeln (to swing; to commute), pinseln (to

paint), prgeln (to beat), rtseln (to rack your brains), regeln (to regulate), rodeln (to toboggan),runzeln (to wrinkle), rtteln (to shake), sammeln (to collect), satteln (to saddle), schaufeln (to shovel),schaukeln (to rock, to sway), schimmeln (to go mouldy), schlafwandeln (to sleepwalk), sichschlngeln (to wind its way, to snake), schmeicheln (to flatter), schmuggeln (to smuggle), schmunzeln(to smile), schnffeln (to sniff, to snuffle), schtteln (to shake), schwindeln (to feel dizzy; to con),segeln (to sail), spiegeln (to reflect, to mirror), sprudeln (to bubble, to fizz), stammeln (to stammer),stempeln (to stamp; to postmark), straucheln (to stumble), streicheln (to caress, to stroke)

T-Z: tadeln (to blame), taumeln (to stagger, to sway), trampeln (to stamp your feet), trdeln (to


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dawdle), trommeln (to drum), trpfeln (to drip), sich tummeln (to romp about), tuscheln (to whisper),bersiedeln (to move, to migrate), umkrempeln (to turn up), verdoppeln (to double), verdunkeln (todarken), vereiteln (to thwart, to foil), verhandeln (to negotiate), verwandeln (to change, to transform),verwechseln (to confuse), wackeln (to wobble, to shake), wandeln (to walk; to stroll), wechseln (tochange), wedeln (to wag), wickeln (to wind, to wrap), wimmeln (to swarm, to teem), winseln (towhimper), zerbrckeln (to crumble), zndeln (to play with fire), zweifeln (to doubt).

This group of -eln verbs also include a small number of verbs recently imported from English. Theyinclude canceln (to cancel), googeln (to use Google) and puzzeln (to do a jigsaw).

Table 3: Present tense of "canceln"

Singular

ich canc(e)le I cancel

du cancelst

Sie canceln

You cancel(informal/formal)

er/sie/es cancelt He/she/it cancels

Plural

wir canceln We cancel

ihr cancelt

Sie canceln

You cancel(informal/formal)

sie canceln They cancel

Verbs ending in -ernGerman verbs whose infinitive stem ends in -ern also form their present tense by removing the -n of thestem and adding the normal endings. In spoken German, the -e of the stem is sometimes omitted in thefirst person singular - i.e. ich wand(e)re. In written German however, the -e of the stem is retained. Notealso:

that the "wir" ending on such verbs is -n, not -en that the formal "Sie" ending is also -n that the third person plural ending is also -n, not -en

Table 4: Present tense of "erinnern"

Singularich erinnere I remind

du erinnerst

Sie erinnern

You remind(informal/formal)

er/sie/es erinnert He/she/it reminds

Plural

wir erinnern We remind


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ihr erinnert

Sie erinnern

You remind(informal/formal)

sie erinnern They remind

Table 5: Present tense of "wandern"

Singular

ich wand(e)re I wander

du wanderst

Sie wandern

You wander(informal/formal)

er/sie/es wandert He/she/it wanders

Plural

wir wandern We wander

ihr wandert

Sie wandern

You wander(informal/formal)

sie wandern They wander

Verbs with a stem in ending in -ern include:

A-E:altern (to grow old), sich anbiedern (to court someone's favour), ndern (to change), ankern (toanchor), rgern (to irritate), aufheitern (to brighten up), aufmuntern (to cheer up), uern (to express),aussondern (to single out), auswandern (to emigrate), behindern (to impede), bemuttern (to mother),bereichern (to enrich), beteuern (to declare), bevlkern (to populate), bewundern (to admire),beziffern (to number; to estimate), blttern (to leaf through), chartern (to charter), dmmern (to

dawn), dauern (to last, to endure), donnern (to thunder), durchstbern (to rummage through),einbrgern (to naturalize), eitern (to fester), entziffern (to decipher), erinnern (to remind), sicherinnern (to remember), erltern (to explain), erleichtern (to make easier), erneuern (to renew),erobern (to conquer), errtern (to discuss), erschttern (to shake severely), erweitern (to expand),erwidern (to respond)

F-M:feiern (to celebrate), feuern (to sack, to fire), filtern (to filter), flstern (to whisper), folgern (toconclude), foltern (to torture), fordern (to demand), frdern (to support, to promote), fttern (to feed),gliedern (to structure), hmmern (to hammer), hamstern (to hoard; to forage), hapern (to be lacking),hindern (to impede), hungern (to starve), jammern (to whine, to yammer), kauern (to crouch; tocower), kentern (to capsize), kichern (to giggle), klammern (to peg, to staple), klappern (to clatter),

klettern (to climb), knabbern (to nibble), knistern (to rustle), knittern (to crease), kdern (to lure; toentice), kontern (to counter), sich kmmern (to look after; to worry), lagern (to store), lstern (to becruel about someone), lauern (to lurk, to lie in wait), liefern (to deliver), lindern (to alleviate), lockern(to loosen), martern (to torment), meckern (to grouse; to moan), meistern (to overcome), mildern (toalleviate), mindern (to diminish), mustern (to scrutinize)

N-S:opfern (to sacrifice), pflastern (to surface; to cobble), pilgern (to make a pilgrimage), plappern(to prattle), plaudern (to chat, to talk), plndern (to plunder), polstern (to upholster), pudern (topowder), ruchern (to smoke), sich ruspern (to clear one's throat), rudern (to row), sbern (to clean),


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scheitern (to fail), schildern (to depict), schimmern (to shimmer), schlendern (to stroll, to amble),schleudern (to hurl, to sling), schmlern (to diminish, to reduce), schnuppern (to sniff, to snuffle),sichern (to secure), speichern (to store), steigern (to increase), steuern (to navigate), stolpern (tostumble), stottern (to stutter)

T-Z:trauern (to mourn), untermauern (to underpin), verallgemeinern (to generalize), verndern (to

change), verbessern (to improve), vergewissern (to make sure), vergrern (to enlarge), verhindern(to prevent), verkleinern (to make smallert), verkrpern (to embody), verlngern (to extend),verringern (to reduce), verschlechtern (to make worse), verschleiern (to veil), verschlimmern (tomake worse), versichern (to assure), versteigern (to auction), verweigern (to refuse), wandern (towander), sich weigern (to refuse), wetteifern (to compete), wuchern (to proliferate), wundern (tosurprise), zaubern (to do magic), zaudern (to hesitate), zertrmmern (to smash; to wreck), zittern (totremble), zgern (to hesitate), zwinkern (to blink; to twinkle).

6. Strong/Irregular Verb Patterns

Verbs are called irregular or 'strong' if they are conjugated in ways that are different from the normalpatterns. Verbs that adhere to these patterns are called regular or 'weak'. These divergences from the

standard conjugation patterns include: vowel changes in the stem of the verb addition of umlauts in the stem of the verb consonant changes in the stem of the verb endings that are different to the standard pattern

There is no way of telling from the infinitive of a verb whether it is weak or strong. Their irregularitiesneed to be learned verb by verb, and it is for this reason that I have supplied the conjugation of the mainGerman strong verbs, which can be accessed by clicking here.

We can say however that the majority of these strong verbs are consistent in that it is only their second

and third person singular forms (i.e. the "du" and "er/sie/es" forms) that display irregularities in thepresent tense. The other forms of the verb have the stem and endings that we would expect to find.

A few patterns can be observed with the irregular forms of the second and third person singular in thepresent tense.

6.1 Some strong verbs with a stem vowel -e- change this vowel to -i- in the "du" and "er/sie/es"

forms.

Table 1: Present tense of "geben"

Singularich gebe I give

du gibst

Sie geben

You give(informal/formal)

er/sie/es gibt He/she/it gives

Plural

wir geben We give
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ihr gebt

Sie geben

You give(informal/formal)

sie geben They give

Table 2: Present tense of "essen"

Singular

ich esse I eat

du isst

Sie essen

You eat(informal/formal)

er/sie/es isst He/she/it eats

Plural

wir essen We eat

ihr esst

Sie essen

You eat(informal/formal)

sie essen They eat

Verbs that behave this way in the present tense include: bergen (to rescue), bersten (to burst), brechen(to break), dreschen (to thresh), erschrecken (to be startled), essen (to eat), fechten (to fence), flechten(to plait), fressen (to eat (of animals)), geben (to give), gelten (to be valid), helfen (to help), messen (tomeasure), nehmen (to take), quellen (to gush), schelten (to scold), schmelzen (to melt), schwellen (toswell), sprechen (to speak), stechen (to sting), sterben (to die), treffen (to meet), treten (to step; tokick), verbergen (to hide), verderben (to spoil), vergessen (to forget), werben (to recruit; to advertise),werfen (to throw).

Note in particular the present tense of the verbs in the above group whose infinitive has a stem in -t-(bersten, fechten, flechten, gelten, treten)

Table 3: Present tense of "gelten"

Singular

ich gelte I am valid

du giltst

Sie gelten

You are valid(informal/formal)

er/sie/es gilt He/she/it is valid

Pluralwir gelten We are valid

ihr geltet

Sie gelten

You are valid(informal/formal)

sie gelten They are valid

Within this sub-group, the verb "treten" (to step, to tread; to kick) not only changes its stem vowel from


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-e- to -i-, but also doubles the medial -t- in the "du" and "er/sie/es" forms.

Table 4: Present tense of "treten"

Singular

ich trete I step

du trittst

Sie treten

You step(informal/formal)

er/sie/es tritt He/she/it steps

Plural

wir treten We step

ihr tretet

Sie treten

You step(informal/formal)

sie treten They step

6.2 Some strong verbs with a stem vowel -e- change this vowel to -ie- in the second and third

persons singular.

Table 5: Present tense of "sehen"

Singular

ich sehe I see

du siehst

Sie sehen

You see(informal/formal)

er/sie/es sieht He/she/it seesPlural

wir sehen We see

ihr seht

Sie sehen

You see(informal/formal)

sie sehen They see

Verbs that behave this way in the present tense include: befehlen (to order; to command), empfehlen (torecommend), geschehen (to happen), lesen (to read), sehen (to see), stehlen (to steal).

Table 6: Present tense of "stehlen"

Singular

ich stehle I steal

du stiehlst

Sie stehlen

You steal(informal/formal)

er/sie/es stiehlt He/she/it steals


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Plural

wir stehlen We steal

ihr stehlt

Sie stehlen

You steal(informal/formal)

sie stehlen They steal

6.3 Some strong verbs with a stem vowel -a- change this vowel to -- in the second and third

persons singular.

Table 7: Present tense of "fahren"

Singular

ich fahre I drive

du fhrstSie fahren

You drive(informal/formal)

er/sie/es fhrt He/she/it drives

Plural

wir fahren We drive

ihr fahrt

Sie fahren

You drive(informal/formal)

sie fahren They drive

Verbs that behave this way in the present tense include: anfangen (to begin), backen (to bake), blasen(to blow), braten (to roast), einladen (to drive; to go), fahren (to drive; to go), fallen (to fall), fangen (tocatch), gefallen (to please), graben (to dig), halten (to hold; to stop), laden (to load), lassen (to let),raten (to advise), schlafen (to sleep), schlagen (to beat), tragen (to carry; to wear), wachsen (to grow),waschen (to wash).

Note in particular the present tense of the following strong verbs whose infinitive has a stem in -ad-(einladen, laden) and -at-(braten, halten, raten):

Table 8: Present tense of "einladen"

Singular

ich lade ein I invite

du ldstein

Sie laden ein

You invite(informal/formal)

er/sie/es ldtein He/she/it invites

Plural

wir laden ein We invite

ihr ladetein You invite


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Sie laden ein (informal/formal)

sie laden ein They invite

Table 9: Present tense of "halten"

Singularich halte I hold; I stop

du hltst

Sie halten

You hold; you stop(informal/formal)

er/sie/es hlt He/she/it holds, stops

Plural

wir halten We hold; we stop

ihr haltet

Sie halten

You hold; you stop(informal/formal)

sie halten They hold; they stop

7. "Sein", "haben" and other strong verbs

Many key irregular or 'strong' German verbs do not adhere to the patterns outlined on the previous pages.They include the verbs sein(to be), haben(to have) and werden(to become), which in addition to theirliteral meanings are also used in the construction of other German tenses and moods:

Table 1: Present tense of "sein"

Singular

ich bin I amdu bist

Sie sind

You are(informal/formal)

er/sie/es ist He/she/it is

Plural

wir sind We are

ihr seid

Sie sind

You are(informal/formal)

sie sind They are

Table 2: Present tense of "haben"

Singular

ich habe I have

du hast

Sie haben

You have(informal/formal)


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er/sie/es hat He/she/it has

Plural

wir haben We have

ihr habt

Sie haben

You have(informal/formal)

sie haben They have

Table 3: Present tense of "werden"

Singular

ich werde I become

du wirst

Sie werden

You become(informal/formal)

er/sie/es wird He/she/it becomes

Pluralwir werden We become

ihr werdet

Sie werden

You become(informal/formal)

sie werden They become

The verb "tun"

The verb "tun", whose infinitive ends in -n, takes the following endings in the present tense:

Table 4: Present tense of "tun"

Singular

ich tue I do

du tust

Sie tun


er/sie/es tut He/she/it does

Plural

wir tun We doihr tut

Sie tun


sie tun They do

Various stem vowel changes


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Some strong verbs alter the stem vowel of their infinitives in the present tense in following ways:

1) erlschen (to go out (of lights)): ich erlsche, du erlischst, er/sie/es erlischt, wir erlschen, ihrerlscht, sie erlschen

2) gebren (to give birth): ich gebre, du gebierst, er/sie/es gebiert, wir gebren, ihr gebrt, sie gebren

3) laufen (to run): ich laufe, du lufst, er/sie/es luft, wir laufen, ihr lauft, sie laufen

4) saufen (to drink (alcohol)): ich saufe, du sufst, er/sie/es suft, wir saufen, ihr sauft, sie saufen

5) stoen (to run): ich stoe, du stt, er/sie/es stt, wir stoen, ihr stot, sie stoen

8. Modal Verbs

The German modal verbs are a group of six verbs which affect the mood of a sentence, approximating towords like "can", "must" and "will" in English. Their combinations with German infinitive and theirbroad range of usage are discussed in Chapter 8 of this course.

In the present tense, the modal verbs:

have a zero ending on the "er/sie/es" form of the verb, i.e. there is no final -t have a zero ending on the "ich" form of the verb, i.e. there is no final -e apply any change to the stem vowel to the "ich" form of the verb, as well as to the "du" and

"er/sie/es" forms. (N.B. The modal verb "sollen" does not modify its stem vowel at all.)

Table 1: Present tense of "drfen"

Singular

ich darf I am allowed to

du darfstSie drfen

You are allowed to(informal/formal)

er/sie/es darf He/she/it is allowed to

Plural

wir drfen We are allowed to

ihr drft

Sie drfen

You are allowed to(informal/formal)

sie drfen They are allowed to

Table 2: Present tense of "knnen"

Singular

ich kann I can

du kannst

Sie knnen

You can(informal/formal)

er/sie/es kann He/she/it can
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Plural

wir knnen We can

ihr knnt

Sie knnen

You can(informal/formal)

sie knnen They can

Table 3: Present tense of "mgen"

Singular

ich mag I like

du magst

Sie mgen

You like(informal/formal)

er/sie/es mag He/she/it likes

Plural

wir mgen We likeihr mgt

Sie mgen

You like(informal/formal)

sie mgen They like

Table 4: Present tense of "mssen"

Singular

ich muss I must

du musst

Sie mssen

You must(informal/formal)

er/sie/es muss He/she/it must

Plural

wir mssen We must

ihr msst

Sie mssen

You must(informal/formal)

sie mssen They must

Table 5: Present tense of "sollen"

Singular

ich soll I am meant to

du sollst

Sie sollen

You are meant to(informal/formal)

er/sie/es soll He/she/it is meant to

Plural


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wir sollen We are meant to

ihr sollt

Sie sollen

You are meant to(informal/formal)

sie sollen They are meant to

Table 6: Present tense of "wollen"

Singular

ich will I want

du willst

Sie wollen

You want(informal/formal)

er/sie/es will He/she/it wants

Plural

wir wollen We want

ihr wolltSie wollen You want(informal/formal)

sie wollen They want

This pattern of present tense formation also applies to the German verb "wissen"(to know). It also:

has a zero ending on the "er/sie/es" form of the verb, i.e. there is no final -t has a zero ending on the "ich" form of the verb, i.e. there is no final -e applies the change to the stem vowel to the "ich" form of the verb, as well as to the "du" and

"er/sie/es" forms.

Table 7: Present tense of "wissen"

Singular

ich wei I know

du weit

Sie wissen

You know(informal/formal)

er/sie/es wei He/she/it knows

Plural

wir wissen We know

ihr wisstSie wissen

You know(informal/formal)

sie wissen They know

9. Separable verbs

Separable verbs are formed by adding a prefix to a main verb. By doing so, a new form of the verb iscreated with a distinctive meaning can be separated into two parts. Note when speaking German that thisseparable prefix is always stressed. Most prefixes are prepositions, but they are occasionally adverbs,nouns, or adjectives.


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Table 1: Components of a separable verb

Prefix + Verb = Sep. Verb

ab

(from)

+ fahren(to travel)

= abfahren(to depart)

an

(at)

+ kommen

(to come)

= ankommen

(to arrive)aus

(out of)

+ steigen(to climb)

= aussteigen(to get out)

ein

(in)

+ steigen(to climb)

= einsteigen(to get in)

um + steigen(to climb)

= umsteigen(to change)

Which prefixes are separable?The following common prefixes are always separable when attached to a main verb. They usually have aspecific meaning in their own right that either modify or completely change the meanings of the rootverbs:

Table 2: Separable prefixes

ab-("away")

an-("starting")

auf-("up")

aus-("out")

bei-("joining")

da(r)-

ein-("in")

entgegen-("towards")

hin-("away")

her-("towards")

los-("starting")

mit-("with")

nach-("after")

nieder-("down")

vor-("ahead")

vorbei-("past")

weg-("away")

zu-("on")

zurck-("back")

zusammen-("together")

The following prefixes are separable when they precede certain verbs and inseparable when they precedeothers:

Table 3: Occasionally separable prefixes

durch-("through")

hinter-("behind")

ber-("over")

um- unter- wieder-


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("change") ("under") ("again")

Present tense of a separable verb

Separable verbs are so called because the prefix is separated from the root verb in main clauses andplaced at the end of the clause. When this happens, the prefix never alters in form. Instead, the verb itselftakes exactly the same endings, whether regular ('weak') or irregular ('strong') as the root verb fromwhich it is derived.

Table 1: Present tense of "einsteigen"

Singular

ich steige ein I climb in

du steigstein

Sie steigen ein

You climb in(informal/formal)

er/sie/es steigtein He/she/it climbs inPlural

wir steigen ein We climb in

ihr steigteinSie steigen ein

You climb in(informal/formal)

sie steigen ein They climb in

Table 2: Present tense of "anfangen"

Singularich fange an I begin

du fngstan

Sie fangen an

You begin(informal/formal)

er/sie/es fngtan He/she/it begins

Plural

wir fangen an We begin

ihr fangtan

Sie fangen an

You begin(informal/formal)

sie fangen an They begin

Word order in the present tense

The separable prefix stands in the final position in a clause. It is thus separated from the conjugated formof its verb in a main clause, including questions. Look at the following examples:


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Table 2: Separable verbs in a normal clause

Verb Clause

aussteigen Er steigt in Mnchen aus.("He gets out in Munich.")

einsteigen Bitte steigen Sie ein!

("Please get in!")umsteigen Sie steigen hier um.

("You change here.")

abfahren Wann fhrst du ab?("When do you depart?")

ankommen Wann kommt der Zug an?("When does the train arrive?")

But in a subordinate clause, the finite verb rejoins the prefix in final position and is written together with

as one word. Remember that the separable prefix is always stressed in these contexts: Wer wei, ob er in Mnchen aussteigt?

(Who knows if he's getting off the train in Munich?) Sie glauben, dass das Konzert um neunzehn Uhr dreiig anfngt.

(They think that the concert starts at 7.30pm.) Wir sehen uns den Film an, obwohl wir wohl erst um neun Uhrankommen.

(We'll watch the film although we'll probably only arrive at nine o'clock.)

10. Verb Combinations

After the recent German spelling reforms, many verbs that had been previously been used as separableprefixes to form compounds with other verbs are now written as separate words in the infinitive. Thisspelling change affects commonly used combinations such as spazieren gehen (to go for a walk),kennen lernen (to get to know), stehen bleiben (to stop), sitzen bleiben (to remain seated), liegenlassen (to leave something lying), stecken lassen (to leave something stuck).

There is however flexibility to write some of these combinations as one word when their meaning isfigurative and not literal:

liegen lassen is now written in the infinitive as two words if it literally means "to leave something

lying", but it can be written as one wordin the infinitive (liegenlassen) if it is used to translate "toforget something". sitzen bleiben must now be written in the infinitive as two words if it means "to remain seated",

but as one word in the infinitive (sitzenbleiben) if it means "to have to repeat a year at school". stehen bleiben is written in the infinitive as two words if it means "to remain standing", but can be

used as one wordin the infinitive (stehenbleiben) if used figuratively to describe a watch or clockthat has stopped.

These orthographical changes do not affect the way that the present tense of such combinations is writtenin main clauses. Now as before, the first verb of the compound always remains in the infinitive, whereas


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the second verb is the one that takes present tense verb endings. This verb comes before the other in amain clause.

Table 1: Present tense of "spazieren gehen"

Singular

ich gehe spazieren I go for a walk

du gehstspazierenSie gehen spazieren

You go for a walk(informal/formal)

er/sie/es gehtspazieren He/she/it goes for a walk

Plural

wir gehen spazieren We go for a walk

ihr gehtspazierenSie gehen spazieren

You go for a walk(informal/formal)

sie gehen spazieren They go for a walk

Table 2: Present tense of "kennen lernen"

Singular

ich lerne kennen I get to know

du lernstkennen

Sie lernen kennen

You get to know(informal/formal)

er/sie/es lerntkennen He/she/it gets to know

Plural

wir lernen kennen We get to know

ihr lerntkennenSie lernen kennen

You get to know(informal/formal)

sie lernen kennen They get to know

Word order in the present tense

The verb that remains in the infinitive is the one that takes the final position in a clause. It is thusseparated from the conjugated verb in a main clause. Look at the following examples:

Ihrlernt einanderkennen.(You get to know each other.)

Gehst du heute Nachmittag spazieren?(Are you going for a walk this afternoon?)

Die Katze bleibt einfach dort stehen.(The cat just stands there.)

Meine Frau lsst den Schlssel stecken.(My wife leaves the key in the lock.)


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But in a subordinate clause, the finite verb rejoins the infinitive in the final position, but this time itfollows the infinitive. After the spelling reforms, the combination of verb is now no longer written as oneword in a subordinate clause:

Wer wei, ob ihr euch einmal nherkennenlernt?(Who knows whether you will get to know each other better?)

Es freut mich sehr, dass du heute Nachmittag spazierengehst.

(I'm very pleased that you are going for a walk this afternoon.) Keiner wei genau, warum die Katze einfach dort stehenbleibt.

(No-one knows for sure why the cat just stands there.) Es rgert mich, dass meine Frau den Schlssel steckenlsst.

(It annoys me that my wife leaves the key in the lock.)

If some of these verbs are used in a figurative rather than a literal sense however, then they may be ableto be written as one word when they occur at the end of subordinate clauses.

Wir sind stolz auf unseren Sohn, obwohl er auf dem Gymnasium wahrscheinlich sitzen bleibt /sitzenbleibt.(We're proud of our son, although he'll probably have to repeat a year at grammar school.)

Erklren Sie mir, warum diese Uhr immerstehen bleibt / stehenbleibt.(Please explain to me why this watch always stops.)

11. Reflexive verbs

Present tense of reflexive verbs taking an accusative pronoun

The present tense of a reflexive verb consists of a verb with the normal present tense endingsfollowedbythe reflexive pronoun in the appropriate case. Here is the present tense of a reflexive verb which takes areflexive pronoun in the accusative case:

Table 1: Present tense of "sich rasieren"

Singularich rasiere mich I shave myself

du rasierst dich

Sie rasieren sich

You shave yourself(informal/formal)

er rasiert sich He shaves himself

Plural

wir rasieren uns We shave ourselves

ihr rasiert euch

Sie rasieren sich

You shave yourselves(informal/formal)

sie rasieren sich They shave themselves

If the reflexive verb is also separable, then the separable prefix of the verb will follow the pronoun (andany other elements of the clause).

Table 2: Present tense of "sich anziehen"

Singular

ich ziehe mich an I get dressed


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du ziehst dich an

Sie ziehen sich an

You get dressed(informal/formal)

er/sie/es zieht sich an He/she/it gets dressed

Plural

wir ziehen uns an We get dressed

ihr zieht euch anSie ziehen sich an

You get dressed(informal/formal)

sie ziehen sich an They get dressed

Present tense of reflexive verbs with a modal verb

When reflexive verbs are preceded by a modal verb, the infinitive of the verb itself is used, but thereflexive pronoun agrees with the subject of the verb. The reflexive pronoun in such cases is identical to

the appropriate pronoun in the present tense of the reflexive verb:Table 3: Present tense of modal + reflexive verb

Singular

ich muss mich waschen I must have a wash

du musst dich waschen

Sie mssensich waschen

You must have a wash(informal/formal)

er musssich waschen He must have a wash

Plural

wir mssen uns waschen We must have a wash

ihr msst euch waschen

Sie mssensich waschen

You must have a wash(informal/formal)

sie mssensich waschen They must have a wash

Present tense of reflexive verbs taking a dative pronoun

A number of verbs use the reflexive pronoun in the dative case. Only two of the dative reflexive pronounsare different from their equivalent accusative reflexive pronoun. These are mich and dich which becomemir and dir respectively.

Here is the present tense of sich vorstellen, a separable verb which takes a reflexive pronoun in the dativecase when it means "to imagine":

Table 4: Present tense of "sich vorstellen"

Singular

ich stelle mirvor I imagine


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du stellst dirvor

Sie stellen sich vor

You imagine(informal/formal)

er/sie stellt sich vor He/she imagines

Plural

wir stellen uns vor We imagine

ihr stellt euch vorSie stellen sich vor

You imagine(informal/formal)

sie stellen sich vor They imagine

Reflexive verbs concerning the body

The dative reflexive pronoun is used in German with certain verbs when they refer to doing things toparts of the body (sich waschen) and putting on or taking off articles of clothing (sich anziehen, sich

ausziehen).

The dative reflexive pronoun must be used when you specify which part of your body you are washing orwhich article of clothing you are putting on or taking off. Furthermore, the definite article is used to referto the specific part of the body, whereas in English the possessive (my, your, his etc.) is used. It istherefore the task of the dative reflexive pronoun to indicate possession.

Table 5: Dative reflexive pronouns

ich wasche mirdie Hnde I wash my hands

du wscht dirdas Gesicht You washyourface

ich ziehe mirdas Hemd an I put my shirt on

du ziehst dirdie Schuhe aus You takeyourshoes off

Great care must therefore be taken to distinguish between the following pairs of verbs:

Ich wasche mich. (I'm having a wash.) Ich wasche mirdie Hnde. (I'm washing my hands.)

Du ziehst dich an. (You get dressed.) Du ziehst dirdie Hose an. (You put your trousers on.)

The same construction is also used in German to translate "to clean one's teeth". The full present tense ofthis construction is given below.

Table 6: Present tense of "sich die Zhne putzen"

Singular

ich putze mirdie Zhne I clean my teeth

du putzt dirdie ZhneSie putzen sich die Zhne

You clean your teeth(informal/formal)


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er/sie putzt sich die Zhne He/she cleans her teeth

Plural

wir putzen uns die Zhne We clean our teeth

ihr putzt euch die ZhneSie putzen sich die Zhne

You clean your teeth(informal/formal)

sie putzen sich die Zhne They clean their teeth

The future tenseFormation of the future tense

The German future tense is formed by using the present tense of the auxiliary verb "werden" followed bythe infinitive of the verb in question:

Grammar 1: Future tense of "kaufen" (= to buy)

Singular

ich werde kaufen I will buy

du wirstkaufen

Sie werden kaufen

You will buy(informal/formal)

er/sie/es wirdkaufen He/she/it will buy

Plural

wir werden kaufen We will buy

ihr werdetkaufen

Sie werden kaufen

You will buy(informal/formal)

sie werden kaufen They will buy

Notes on word order

1. The infinitive of the main verb in the future tense should always be placed at the end of a clause orsentence.

Aber sie wirdnicht mehr hiersein.(But she won't be here any more.)

Marlene wirdMitte Oktoberausziehen.(Marlene will be moving out in the middle of October.)

2. When a clause is "inverted" - i.e. in a question or when an adverb is the first element -, the auxiliaryverb "werden" precedes the subject and the infinitive is again placed at the end of the clause.

Wann wirstdu einziehen?(When will you move in?)

Natrlich wirdMarlene den Wecker und den Computermitnehmen.(Of course Marlene will take the alarm clock and the computer with her.)

Ab dem kommenden Semesterwerde ich hier Jurastudieren.(From this term onwards I shall be studying law here.)

3. It is not necessary to repeat the auxiliary verb "werden" when the same noun is the subject of two ormore future verbs in the same sentence.


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Sie wird heiraten und dann in ein Zweifamilienhaus umziehen.(She will get married and will then move into a semi-detached house.)

The future tense and the present tense

In practice, the future tense is used much less frequently in German than it is in English. As we have seen

in previous chapters, the present tense is often used indicate a future action, especially when an adverbalready shows that the event takes place in the future:

Wirkommen morgen.(We will be coming tomorrow.)

bermorgenfhrter nach Hause.(He'll be going home the day after tomorrow.)

Ich bin gleich fertig.(I'll be ready in a moment.)

Ichgehe in die Kche und mache Kaffee.(I'll just go into the kitchen and make some coffee.)

Heute Abendschreibe ich den Brief.(I'll write the letter this evening.)

The future tense is mainly used to refer to the future if the present tense could be misunderstood.

Ich werde keine Antwort bekommen.("I won't get an answer". The present tense might imply that you "aren't getting an answer".)

Kai wirdwieder bei der Post arbeiten.("Kai will be working for the post office". Using the present tense would imply that Kai "is

working for the post office again".)

The future tense can also indicate probability:

Ich bekomme keine Antwort. Sie wirdwohl nicht da sein.(I'm not getting a reply. She's probably not in.)

Modal verbs and the future tense

Take care to distinguish between "werden" and "wollen" when expressing the future tense - English"will" is not the same as German "will"! Whereas the auxiliary verb "werden" should be used to translatea future action, "wollen" should only be used to translate what a person "plans" or "intends" to do.

Wirwerden jetzt nach Italienfahren.(We are going to go to Italy now.)

Wirwollen jetzt nach Italienfahren.

(We intend to go to Italy now.) Wirmchten jetzt nach Italienfahren.

(We would like to go to Italy now.)

In first person plural questions "wollen" has the sense of English "Shall we...?":

Wollen wir eine Tasse Kaffee trinken?(Shall we have a cup of coffee?)

Was wollen wir heute machen?(What shall we do today?)


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Distinguishing between different forms of "werden"

As we have seen in the previous chapter, the auxiliary verb "werden" can be used to indicate a number ofdifferent tenses and moods in German. You should take care to distinguish between the future (= werden+ Infinitive) and thepassive (werden + Past Participle).

WirdLutz die Wohnungsanieren?(Will Lutz renovate the flat?) Die Wohnung wirdschonsaniert!

(The flat is already being renovated.)

Note too that when "werden" is used with an adjective it means "to become":

Wirwerden ausziehen und unsere Wohnung wird bald frei.(We will move out and our flat will soon become free.)

The Imperative

The imperative is used to give orders or instructions or to express requests. The verb endings for theimperative depend on the person to whom you are talking:

Table 1: Forms of the imperative

kaufen warten

du kauf (e)! warte!

ihr kauf t! wartet!

Sie kauf en Sie! warten Sie!

fahren handeln

du fahr! handle!

ihr fahr t! handelt!

Sie fahr en Sie! handeln Sie!

Formation of the imperative

1. The "du"form of the imperative is formed by dropping the final "-en" of the infinitive and adding "-e"to the end of the word. This "-e"ending is usually dropped in spoken German and quite often in writtenGerman as well.

2. The "-e"ending on the "du" imperative is always kept with verbs whose stem end in "-d", "-t", "-ig"and "-m" or "-n" after another consonant. See for example the verb "warten" (= to wait) in the tableabove.

3. Verbs whose infinitive ends in "-eln" drop the "-e"of the stem in the "du" imperative but not in the"ihr" and "Sie" forms. See the verb "handeln" (= to act) in the table above.

4. The "ihr"form of the imperative is exactly the same as the "ihr"form of the regular present tense.


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5. The "Sie"form of the imperative is exactly the same as the "Sie"form of the regular present tense BUTthe word order is reversed - the verb always precedes the pronoun.

6. Note in particular that the "Sie"form of the imperative is the only one in which the pronoun is used inthe command; you must omit the pronoun in the "du"and "ihr"forms.

The "du" imperative of certain irregular verbs

As we have seen when looking at thepresent tense, there are a number of irregular or 'strong' verbs with astem vowel in "-e-"in the stem change this to "-i-" or "-ie-" in the "du"form on the present tense. Thesestrong verbs also retain this vowel change in the "du" imperative. Such verbs never add the ending "-e" inthe "du"form. The "ihr"and "Sie"forms remain unaffected by this vowel change.

Table 2: Irregular imperatives

geben nehmen

du gib! nimm!

ihr gebt! nehmt!

Sie geben Sie! nehmen Sie!

empfehlen lesen

du empf iehl! lies!

ihr empfehlt! lest!

Sie empfehlen Sie! lesen Sie!

Note however that this vowel change in the "du" imperative is only true for those verbs with a stem

vowel in "-e-"that changes to "-i-" or "-ie-". Verbs that make other vowel changes in the "du" form of thepresent tense do not retain this vowel change in the imperative. For example:

The verb "fahren" has the "du" imperative fahr! (and not:fhr), although the present tense of theverb is du fhrst.

The verb "tragen" has the "du" imperative trag! (and not: trg), although the present tense of theverb is du trgst.

The verb "laufen" has the "du" imperative lauf! (and not: luf), although the present tense of theverb is du lufst.

The verb "stoen" has the imperative sto! (and not:st), although the present tense of the verbis du stt

The "wir" imperative

There is also a "wir"form of the imperative which equates to "Let's do something"rather than being anorder. Just like the "Sie" form of the imperative, you merely take the normal "wir"form of the presenttense verb and follow it with the pronoun, which cannot be omitted. Any separable prefix will come at theend of the clause.
http://userweb.port.ac.uk/~joyce1/abinitio/verbs/tenspres6.htmlhttp://userweb.port.ac.uk/~joyce1/abinitio/verbs/tenspres6.htmlhttp://userweb.port.ac.uk/~joyce1/abinitio/verbs/tenspres6.html


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"Gehen wir!"(= "Let's go!") "Spielen wir!"(= "Let's play!") "Lesen wir!"(= "Let's read!") "Fangen wir jetzt an!"(= "Let's start now!")

The imperative forms of "sein"

The verb "to be" shows irregularity in the imperative in that all of its forms use "sei-" as a stem. Thismeans that the "wir" and "Sie" forms of the imperative are different from the present tense forms of theverb.

"Sei glcklich!" (= "Be happy!") "Seien wir optimistisch!" (= "Let's be optimistic!") "Seid pnktlich!" (= "Be punctual!") "Seien Sie glcklich!" (= "Be happy!")

drfen (= to be allowed to)Present tense: ich darf, du darfst, er/sie darf, wir drfen, ihr drft, sie/Sie drfen

Imperfect / preterite: ich durfte, du durftest, er/sie durfte, wir durften, ihr durftet, sie/Sie durften

Perfect tense: ich habe gedurft, du hast gedurft, er/sie hat gedurft, wir haben gedurft, ihr habt gedurft,sie/Sie haben gedurft

Perfect tense (when used with another verb): ich habe spielen drfen, du hast spielen drfen, er/sie hatspielen drfen, wir haben spielen drfen, ihr habt spielen drfen, sie/Sie haben spielen drfen

Pluperfect tense: ich hatte gedurft, du hattest gedurft, er/sie hatte gedurft, wir hatten gedurft, ihr hattetgedurft, sie/Sie hatten gedurft

Pluperfect tense (when used with another verb): ich hatte spielen drfen, du hattest spielen drfen,er/sie hatte spielen drfen, wir hatten spielen drfen, ihr hattet spielen drfen, sie/Sie hatten spielendrfen

Imperative:German modal verbs do not have imperative forms.

Present Participle:The present participle of modal verbs does not occur in practice.

Past Participle: gedurft

Imperfect subjunctive: ich drfte, du drftest, er/sie drfte, wir drften, ihr drftet, sie/Sie drften

knnen (= to be able to)

Present tense: ich kann, du kannst, er/sie kann, wir knnen, ihr knnt, sie/Sie knnen


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Imperfect / preterite: ich konnte, du konntest, er/sie konnte, wir konnten, ihr konntet, sie/Sie konnten

Perfect tense: ich habe gekonnt, du hast gekonnt, er/sie hat gekonnt, wir haben gekonnt, ihr habtgekonnt, sie/Sie haben gekonnt

Perfect tense (when used with another verb): ich habe spielen knnen, du hast spielen knnen, er/siehat spielen knnen, wir haben spielen knnen, ihr habt spielen knnen, sie/Sie haben spielen knnen

Pluperfect tense: ich hatte gekonnt, du hattest gekonnt, er/sie hatte gekonnt, wir hatten gekonnt, ihrhattet gekonnt, sie/Sie hatten gekonnt

Pluperfect tense (when used with another verb): ich hatte spielen knnen, du hattest spielen knnen,er/sie hatte spielen knnen, wir hatten spielen knnen, ihr hattet spielen knnen, sie/Sie hatten spielenknnen



Past Participle: gekonnt

Imperfect subjunctive: ich knnte, du knntest, er/sie knnte, wir knnten, ihr knntet, sie/Sie knnten

mgen (= to like)

Present tense: ich mag, du magst, er/sie mag, wir mgen, ihr mgt, sie/Sie mgen

Imperfect / preterite: ich mochte, du mochtest, er/sie mochte, wir mochten, ihr mochtet, sie/Sie mochten

Perfect tense: ich habe gemocht, du hast gemocht, er/sie hat gemocht, wir haben gemocht, ihr habtgemocht, sie/Sie haben gemocht

Perfect tense (when used with another verb): ich habe spielen mgen, du hast spielen mgen, er/sie hatspielen mgen, wir haben spielen mgen, ihr habt spielen mgen, sie/Sie haben spielen mgen

Pluperfect tense: ich hatte gemocht, du hattest gemocht, er/sie hatte gemocht, wir hatten gemocht, ihrhattet gemocht, sie/Sie hatten gemocht

Pluperfect tense (when used with another verb): ich hatte spielen mgen, du hattest spielen mgen,er/sie hatte spielen mgen, wir hatten spielen mgen, ihr hattet spielen mgen, sie/Sie hatten spielenmgen




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Past Participle: gemocht

Imperfect subjunctive: ich mchte, du mchtest, er/sie mchte, wir mchten, ihr mchtet, sie/Siemchten

mssen (= to have to, must)

Present tense: ich muss, du musst, er/sie muss, wir mssen, ihr msst, sie/Sie mssen

Imperfect / preterite: ich musste, du musstest, er/sie musste, wir mussten, ihr musstet, sie/Sie mussten

Perfect tense: ich habe gemusst, du hast gemusst, er/sie hat gemusst, wir haben gemusst, ihr habtgemusst, sie/Sie haben gemusst

Perfect tense (when used with another verb): ich habe spielen mssen, du hast spielen mssen, er/siehat spielen mssen, wir haben spielen mssen, ihr habt spielen mssen, sie/Sie haben spielen mssen

Pluperfect tense: ich hatte gemusst, du hattest gemusst, er/sie hatte gemusst, wir hatten gemusst, ihrhattet gemusst, sie/Sie hatten gemusst

Pluperfect tense (when used with another verb): ich hatte spielen mssen, du hattest spielen mssen,er/sie hatte spielen mssen, wir hatten spielen mssen, ihr hattet spielen mssen, sie/Sie hatten spielenmssen



Past Participle: gemusst

Imperfect subjunctive: ich msste, du msstest, er/sie msste, wir mssten, ihr msstet, sie/Sie mssten

sollen (= to be supposed to)

Present tense: ich soll, du sollst, er/sie soll, wir sollen, ihr sollt, sie/Sie sollen

Imperfect / preterite: ich sollte, du solltest, er/sie sollte, wir sollten, ihr solltet, sie/Sie sollten

Perfect tense: ich habe gesollt, du hast gesollt, er/sie hat gesollt, wir haben gesollt, ihr habt gesollt,sie/Sie haben gesollt

Perfect tense (when used with another verb): ich habe spielen sollen, du hast spielen sollen, er/sie hatspielen sollen, wir haben spielen sollen, ihr habt spielen sollen, sie/Sie haben spielen sollen

Pluperfect tense: ich hatte gesollt, du hattest gesollt, er/sie hatte gesollt, wir hatten gesollt, ihr hattetgesollt, sie/Sie hatten gesollt


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Pluperfect tense (when used with another verb): ich hatte spielen sollen, du hattest spielen sollen,er/sie hatte spielen sollen, wir hatten spielen sollen, ihr hattet spielen sollen, sie/Sie hatten spielen sollen



Past Participle: gesollt

Imperfect subjunctive: ich sollte, du solltest, er/sie sollte, wir sollten, ihr solltet, sie/Sie sollten

wollen (= to want)

Present tense: ich will, du willst, er/sie will, wir wollen, ihr wollt, sie/Sie wollen

Imperfect / preterite: ich wollte, du wolltest, er/sie wollte, wir wollten, ihr wolltet, sie/Sie wollten

Perfect tense: ich habe gewollt, du hast gewollt, er/sie hat gewollt, wir haben gewollt, ihr habt gewollt,sie/Sie haben gewollt

Perfect tense (when used with another verb): ich habe spielen wollen, du hast spielen wollen, er/sie hatspielen wollen, wir haben spielen wollen, ihr habt spielen wollen, sie/Sie haben spielen wollen

Pluperfect tense: ich hatte gewollt, du hattest gewollt, er/sie hatte gewollt, wir hatten gewollt, ihr hattetgewollt, sie/Sie hatten gewollt

Pluperfect tense (when used with another verb): ich hatte spielen wollen, du hattest spielen wollen,er/sie hatte spielen wollen, wir hatten spielen wollen, ihr hattet spielen wollen, sie/Sie hatten spielenwollen



Past Participle: gewollt

Imperfect subjunctive: ich wollte, du wolltest, er/sie wollte, wir wollten, ihr wolltet, sie/Sie wollten


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Les Jerman Verbs

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