Grammar Guides / German / Present Tense Verbs

⚡ Present Tense Verbs

How to conjugate regular and irregular German verbs in the present tense

A1 8 min read 4 sections

Regular -en Verb Conjugation

Most German verbs end in -en in the infinitive (e.g., spielen, lernen, machen). To conjugate, remove the -en ending to get the stem, then add the personal endings. This pattern covers the majority of German verbs.

PersonEndingspielen (to play)lernen (to learn)
ich-espielelerne
du-stspielstlernst
er/sie/es-tspieltlernt
wir-enspielenlernen
ihr-tspieltlernt
sie/Sie-enspielenlernen
Ich spiele Fußball. Du lernst Deutsch.I play football. You are learning German.
Tip: Notice that "wir" and "sie/Sie" always use the same form as the infinitive. If the stem ends in -t or -d (e.g., arbeiten), add an extra -e before -st and -t: du arbeitest, er arbeitet.

Stem-Changing Verbs

Some common verbs change their stem vowel in the du and er/sie/es forms. The three patterns are e → i, e → ie, and a → ä. The endings stay the same — only the stem vowel shifts. All other forms (ich, wir, ihr, sie) keep the original vowel.

ChangeVerbichduer/sie/eswir
e → isprechen (to speak)sprechesprichstsprichtsprechen
e → igeben (to give)gebegibstgibtgeben
e → iesehen (to see)sehesiehstsiehtsehen
e → ielesen (to read)leseliestliestlesen
a → äfahren (to drive)fahrefährstfährtfahren
a → äschlafen (to sleep)schlafeschläfstschläftschlafen
Tip: The stem change only happens in du and er/sie/es — never in ich, wir, ihr, or sie/Sie. Think of it like the Spanish "boot pattern."

sein & haben

"Sein" (to be) and "haben" (to have) are the two most important German verbs. Both are completely irregular and must be memorized. They are also used as auxiliary verbs to form past tenses.

Personsein (to be)haben (to have)
ichbinhabe
dubisthast
er/sie/esisthat
wirsindhaben
ihrseidhabt
sie/Siesindhaben
Ich bin müde. Du hast ein Buch.I am tired. You have a book.
Tip: Unlike French and Spanish (which use "to have" for age), German uses sein (to be), just like English: Ich bin 25 Jahre alt (I am 25 years old).

Common Irregular Verbs: wissen & werden

Two more essential irregular verbs are "wissen" (to know a fact) and "werden" (to become). "Werden" is also used to form the future tense. Note the unusual ich-form of "wissen" — it looks like an er/sie/es form.

Personwissen (to know)werden (to become)
ichweißwerde
duweißtwirst
er/sie/esweißwird
wirwissenwerden
ihrwisstwerdet
sie/Siewissenwerden
Ich weiß es nicht. Er wird Arzt.I don't know. He is becoming a doctor.
Tip: Don't confuse "wissen" (to know a fact) with "kennen" (to know / be familiar with a person or place). "Ich weiß die Antwort" (I know the answer) vs. "Ich kenne Berlin" (I know Berlin).
This guide includes 4 interactive quizzes to test your understanding. Sign up free to access them.

Practice with Interactive Quizzes

Build lasting vocabulary with image-based flashcards and spaced repetition.

Try Vidi for Free

More German Guides

📖
German Articles: der, die, das
Understanding grammatical gender and when to use each article
 🏗️
German Sentence Structure
The V2 rule, word order, and how German sentences actually work
 👤
Personal Pronouns
Subject, accusative, and dative pronouns — plus formal vs. informal address
 🚫
Negation: nicht & kein
How to say "not" and "no" in German — and where to place them
 🎯
German Modal Verbs
The 6 modal verbs — expressing ability, obligation, permission, and desire
 ⏰
Perfekt: The Perfect Tense
How Germans talk about the past in everyday conversation
 🧩
Accusative & Dative Cases
How German marks direct objects, indirect objects, and uses prepositions
 🇩🇪
German Alphabet & Pronunciation
All 30 letters, common combinations, and IPA symbols explained
 📐
Adjective Endings & Agreement
How German adjective endings change depending on case, gender, and what comes before them
 🏡
Possessive Adjectives
Saying "my," "your," "his," "her" in German — and how they change with case and gender
 📢
Imperatives & Commands
How to give instructions, make requests, and say "let's" in German
 📍
Prepositions & Their Cases
Master accusative, dative, and two-way prepositions with clear rules and examples
 🔗
The Genitive Case
Expressing possession, using genitive prepositions, and mastering the "whose?" case
 🔗
Relative Clauses (Relativsätze)
Building complex sentences with clauses that describe nouns
 🔄
Passive Voice (Passiv)
How to express actions where the subject receives the action — process passive and state passive
 💭
Subjunctive II (Konjunktiv II)
Expressing hypothetical situations, polite requests, and wishes