Exercise 2: Verbs in the Present Tense (Verben im Präsens)

Exercise 2 of 28
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Theory: Understanding German Verbs

What is a verb?

A verb usually describes what a person or any other subject is doing: 'I go to the cinema.' 'She thinks about her holiday.' 'They play football.' It can also describe a state: 'He is angry.' 'She lives over there.' 'They love me.'

Verbs in English

In English, verbs take no endings except for the third person singular ('he'/'she'/'it') in the present tense. You would say: 'I go', 'you go', 'he/she/it goes', 'we go', 'you go', 'they go'. Apart from the third person singular where '-(e)s' is added, the verb in the sentence is the same form as the infinitive (basic form of a verb as listed in a dictionary), that is the basic form of a verb as it is listed in a dictionary or glossary ('to go').

Verb Formation in German

German has more endings for verbs in the present tense than English. You take the stem of a verb and then add the required ending. The stem is the form of the infinitive without -en or -n.

infinitive: kommen (to come) → stem: komm
infinitive: wohnen (to live) → stem: wohn
infinitive: hören (to hear) → stem: hör

A verb with its ending is called a finite verb (as opposed to the infinitive which does not have a meaningful ending).

Complete Conjugation Table

Person Ending kommen (to come) wohnen (to live) hören (to hear)
ich (I) -e komme wohne höre
du (you, informal singular) -st kommst wohnst hörst
Sie (you, formal) -en kommen wohnen hören
er/sie/es (he/she/it) -t kommt wohnt hört
wir (we) -en kommen wohnen hören
ihr (you, informal plural) -t kommt wohnt hört
Sie (you, formal plural) -en kommen wohnen hören
sie (they) -en kommen wohnen hören

Key Patterns:

ich: add -e to the stem
Ich wohne in Frankfurt. (I live in Frankfurt.)
Ich spiele Gitarre. (I play the guitar.)
du/Sie: informal is du -st, formal is Sie -en
Woher kommst du? (Where do you come from? - informal)
Woher kommen Sie? (Where do you come from? - formal)
er/sie/es: add -t to the stem
Er spielt Tennis. (He plays tennis.)
Es schneit. (It is snowing.)
wir: takes -en
Wir wohnen in Köln. (We live in Cologne.)
ihr/Sie: informal ihr -t, formal Sie -en
Was macht ihr hier? (What are you doing here? - plural informal)
sie (they): add -en (small s!)
Und woher kommen sie? (And where do they come from?)

Uses of sie/Sie

One Present Tense in German

German has only one present tense, corresponding to both simple and continuous present in English:

Er trinkt Bier. = He drinks beer. / He is drinking beer.
Sie spielt Fußball. = She plays football. / She is playing football.

Exceptions to Note:

  • Some verbs have spelling variations or stem vowel changes (see Unit 3)
  • sein (to be) and haben (to have) are particularly irregular (see Unit 4)

Exercises

Exercise 2.1: Verb Endings
Use the endings from the list below to complete the verb forms. The first one has been done for you.
Available endings: -en, -en, -e, -st, -t, -en, -en, -t
ich → -e
du →
Sie →
er/sie/es →
wir →
ihr →
Sie (plural) →
sie (they) →
Exercise 2.2: Interview with Alex Maschke
Complete the gaps with the appropriate verb forms. Alex is addressed informally (using du).
Example: kommen → Woher ___ du? – Ich ___ aus Frankfurt.
Answer: Woher kommst du? – Ich komme aus Frankfurt.
1. wohnen Wo – Ich
2. studieren Und was – Ich
3. hören Welche Musik – Ich
4. lernen Welche Sprache – Ich
5. trinken Was – Ich

Formal Rewrite (using Sie form)

Rewrite the questions in the formal mode (using the Sie form).

1. wohnen Wo
2. studieren Und was
3. hören Welche Musik
4. lernen Welche Sprache
5. trinken Was
Exercise 2.3: Missing Endings
Supply the missing endings only (not full words).
Example: Anna komm___ aus Wien. → Anna kommt aus Wien.
1. Ich heiß___ Ulrike.
2. Komm___ du wirklich aus London?
3. Peter wohn___ im Stadtzentrum.
4. Das ist Pia. Sie geh___ sehr gern ins Restaurant.
5. Wie heiß___ Sie?
6. Ich heiß___ Petra Schmidt.
7. Und was mach___ Sie beruflich?
8. Ich studier___ Physik.
9. Und woher komm___ ihr?
10. Was mach___ ihr hier?
11. Und wo wohn___ ihr?
12. Wir komm___ aus Süddeutschland.
13. Wir geh___ zu einem Fußballspiel.
14. Wir bleib___ drei Tage.
15. Sie (Pier und Jörg) lern___ Englisch.
16. Basel lieg___ in der Schweiz.
17. Komm___ ihr aus Freiburg?
18. Und woher komm___ du?
19. Ann und Tina spiel___ gern Badminton.
20. Wir find___ Berlin sehr interessant.
Exercise 2.4: Translation
Translate the following sentences into German:
1. I live in Berlin.
2. He drinks beer.
3. She plays tennis.
4. Carla and Sophia are playing football.
5a. Where do you come from? (du form)
5b. Where do you come from? (Sie form)
6a. Where do you live? (du form)
6b. Where do you live? (Sie form)
6c. Where do you live? (ihr form)

Checklist:

  • Can you form the stem of a German verb?
  • What are the verb endings in the singular?
  • Do you know the endings in the plural?
  • How many tenses are there in German for the present?
  • Can you define what a finite verb is?

Tips: For more information on verb endings see Units 3 and 4. See also Unit 15 for more details on personal pronouns.