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.
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
| 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:
Uses of sie/Sie
- sie (small s) = either 'she' or 'they'
- Sie (capital S) = formal 'you' (singular and plural)
- Verb endings for 'they' and formal 'you' are identical
One Present Tense in German
German has only one present tense, corresponding to both simple and continuous present in English:
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)