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BIG YELLOW
BOOK OF GERMAN VERBS
555
FULLY CONJUGATED VERBS
Paul Listen, Ph.D. Robert Di Donato, Ph.D.
Daniel Franklin
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DOI: 10.1036/0071469559
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Contents
German Tense Profiles 1
Comprehensive summaries of formation and uses of each tense
The Basics of Conjugation 2Special Types and Uses of Finite Verbs 29
Person and Number 2Reflexive Verbs 29
Mood and Tense 3 Dative Verbs 30
Voice 4Genitive Verbs 30
The German Verb 4Impersonal Verbs 30
The Infinitive 4Modal Verbs and lassen 30
Verb Classes 4Other Dual-Verb Constructions 31
Principal Parts of the Verb 5 The Passive Voice 31
The Simple Tenses 7The Imperative Mood 33
The Present 7Nonfinite Verb Forms 34
The Simple Past 12 The Infinitive 34
The Present Subjunctive I 15 The Present Participle 35
The Present Subjunctive II 15The Gerundive (zu Present Participle) 36
The Compound Tenses 18 The Past Participle 36
The Future 18Verb Placement: Overview 36
The Future Subjunctive I 19The Sentence Frame 36
The Future Subjunctive II 19 Spelling Reform 38
The Present Perfect 20
The Past Participle 20
The Perfect Auxiliary: haben or sein? 23
The Past Perfect 24
The Past Subjunctive I 25
The Past Subjunctive II 25
The Future Perfect 26
The Future Perfect Subjunctive I 27
The Future Perfect Subjunctive II 28
555 Fully Conjugated Verbs 39
Alphabetically ordered with examples of common use
Top 50 Verbs: Full page of examples adjoining select conjugations
Exercises 646
Drills to test and improve your grasp of correct verb forms
Answers to Exercises 650
English-German Verb Index 651
555 verb models cross-referenced by their English meanings
Irregular Verb Form Index 658
Index showing the infinitive of difficult irregular German verb forms
German Verb Index 662
More than 4,200 verbs showing 3 principal parts and cross-referenced to the full verb models
iii
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GERMAN
TENSE
PROFILES
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2 THE BASICS OF CONJUGATION
THE BASICS OF CONJUGATION
A verb is the part of speech that expresses an action, mode of being, or occurrence, for exam-
ple, to run, to think, to live, or in German, laufen, denken, leben. When used in a sentence,
the verb is said to be inflected, meaning it may have endings or inflections. To conjugate a
verb means to list all its different inflected forms in a specific and logical fashion.
German has more inflected forms than English. Compare the following two sentences.
Ich laufe jeden Tag. I run every day.
Wir laufen jeden Tag.We run every day.
Notice that English uses the same form (run) in both sentences, whereas German has two
different forms (laufe, laufen). As you can see from the examples, the difference between the
forms is the endings.
Endings are one of the ways inflected verbs can show the grammatical categories of person
(Person), number (Numerus or Zahl), mood (Modus), and tense (Tempus or Zeit). This sec-
tion provides an overview of these grammatical categories and the category of voice (Genus).
The basics of German verb conjugation are also presented.
PERSON AND NUMBER
The grammatical categories of person and number are features of both nouns and verbs in
German.
Number can be either singular or plural. A noun or pronoun is singular if it refers to a single
person or thing, for example, I, she, the house, or Mr. Smith. A noun or pronoun is plural if it
refers to more than one person or thing, for example, we, they, orchids, or the Joneses.
The verb in a German sentence agrees with the subject noun in that sentence. If the subject is
singular, then the verb must be a singular form, too. If the subject is plural, the verb must be
plural.
For convenience and efficiency, pronouns are used in the conjugation tables of this book. It is
therefore important to understand the German pronouns, how they relate to person and
number, and how they relate to other nouns.
German Pronouns
NOMINATIVE ACCUSATIVE DATIVE GENITIVE
SINGULAR
FIRST PERSONichmich mirmeiner I/me
SECOND PERSON du dich dirdeiner you (familiar)
SieSieIhnenIhreryou (formal)
THIRD PERSONer ihnihmseiner he/him
siesieihrihrershe/her
es es ihmseiner it
PLURAL
FIRST PERSONwirunsunsunserwe/us
SECOND PERSON ihreuch euch eureryou (familiar)
SieSieIhnenIhreryou (formal)
THIRD PERSONsiesieihnenihrerthey/them
Case is a characteristic of nouns and pronouns, as well as of the noun phrases they appear in.
There are four cases in German: nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive.
The nominative case is used for the subject of a sentence, as well as for predicates involving
verbs such as sein to be and werden to become. The accusative case is used for the direct object
of a sentence (generally) and for the object of certain prepositions. The dative case is used for
the indirect object of a sentence and for the object of certain verbs and prepositions. The
genitive case is used to show possession or relation; it is also used for the object of certain
verbs and prepositions. Genitive pronouns are not commonly used in modern German.
These tense profiles focus on nominative pronouns, since they are most relevant to the form
of the verb in a sentence.
Mood and Tense3
The category of person encompasses first person, second person, and third person. First per-
son is the speaker or the speaker and others for whom he or she speaks. First person is ex-
pressed in the singular personal pronoun ich (I ) and the plural personal pronoun wir (we).
Second person is the hearer(s), or the person(s) to whom the speaker is talking, writing, or
communicating, expressed in the personal pronouns du, ihr, and Sie (singular and plural)
( you). Third person is anyone or anything other than the speaker and hearer. Thus, third per-
son includes the subject pronouns er, sie, es, and sie (he, she, it, and they).
In the following table, the present tense of the verb laufen to run is shown in the format used
in this book.
SINGULARPLURAL
FIRST PERSONich laufe wir laufen
SECOND PERSON du läufst ihr lauft
Sie laufenSie laufen
THIRD PERSONer/sie/es läuft sie laufen
Each subject pronoun is paired with an inflected verb form, which shows the proper ending
for agreement with that particular pronoun. (Some forms have an ä where others have an a.
This is called “umlaut” or vowel change and is another way some verbs in German are in-
flected. This will be explained below.) The du and ihr forms are familiar; the Sie forms are
formal.
An inflected verb is said to agree with the subject of its sentence, which means it has endings
that are specific to the subject in both person (first, second, or third) and number (singular or
plural).
Many sentences have subjects that are made up of more than pronouns, of course. It is im-
portant to understand how the subject pronouns used in the conjugation tables relate to
nouns and other pronouns that might be used as the subject of a sentence.
Third person comprises all pronouns outside the first and second persons, as well as any
common or proper noun. Unlike first and second person, third person frequently involves no
pronouns at all. In the sentences below, the noun phrases used as subjects are all in the third
person and would therefore require a third-person singular or third-person plural verb form.
Third-Person Singular
Sie lacht. She laughs.
Unsere Mutter lacht. Our mother laughs.
Third-Person Plural
Meine Freunde lachen.My friends laugh.
Er und Bob lachen. He and Bob laugh.
The last sentence above contains a compound subject, meaning more than one noun or pro-
noun is involved. If a sentence has a compound subject, the verb must be plural.
If a compound subject contains a first-person pronoun, the verb is first-person plural. If a
compound subject contains a second-person pronoun, the verb is second-person plural unless
the subject also contains a first-person pronoun. First person overrides second person.
First-Person Plural
Meine Freunde und ich kochen.My friends and I cook.
Du und ich kochen. You and I cook.
Second-Person Plural
Du und die Kinder kocht. You and the children cook.
Sie und er kochen. You and he cook.
MOOD AND TENSE
An inflected verb is said to be in one of three moods: indicative, subjunctive, or imperative.
German uses the indicative mood to talk about things that the speaker perceives as real, true,
or factual. The subjunctive mood is used for contingent, possible, hypothetical, and what-if
expressions. It is also used to make requests more polite. German actually has two different
4 THE BASICS OF CONJUGATION
kinds of subjunctive mood: subjunctive I and subjunctive II. The imperative mood is used for
commands and instructions.
There are six basic tenses in German: present, simple past, future, present perfect, past per-
fect, and future perfect. Theses tenses combine with moods to make a total of 14 conjugation
patterns (excluding the imperative).
PresentPresent Perfect
Simple PastPast Perfect
Future Future Perfect
Present Subjunctive IPast Subjunctive I
Present Subjunctive II Past Subjunctive II
Future Subjunctive I Future Perfect Subjunctive I
Future Subjunctive IIFuture Perfect Subjunctive II
All German tenses are either indicative or subjunctive. “Simple past” is actually “simple past
indicative”; the word “indicative” is usually omitted in tense names.
Inflections indicate agreement with the subject in person and number. They also show mood
and tense.
VOICE
German has two voices: active and passive. In an active-voice sentence, the subject is the per-
son or thing doing the action expressed by the verb. In a passive-voice sentence, the focus is
on either the action itself or the person or thing being acted upon. The 555 conjugation ta-
bles in this book present only the active forms, since the passive forms can be easily derived
from them. For details on formation and use of the passive, see pages 31–32.
THE GERMAN VERB
The Infinitive
Inflected forms are also known as finite forms. They are finite in that they are limited to a
certain person and number. Forms that are not finite include infinitives and participles.
The basic German infinitive is made up of a stem and a suffix (-n or -en). By far, the more
common suffix is -en.
bauensammeln
bringentun
öffnen wandern
These are actually present active infinitives; for other infinitive types, see pages 34–35.
Verb Classes
There are many ways to categorize German verbs. A common way, and one that is most use-
ful for learning conjugations, is to divide them into classes based on their conjugation pat-
terns. The names of these classes vary slightly from one approach to another. This book uses
the terms “regular weak,” “strong,” “mixed,” and “modal” to refer to four classes of verbs.
Regular Weak Verbs Regular weak verbs are often called simply “regular verbs” or “weak
verbs.” The great majority of German verbs belong to this class.
In some instances, the form of a German verb’s infinitive provides a clue to its class. For ex-
ample, all verbs ending in -eln or -ern are regular weak. All verbs ending in -ieren are regu-
lar weak, except for frieren, verlieren, and any prefixed verbs based on them. For all other
German verbs, the form of the infinitive does not reliably indicate its class.
Regular weak verbs have -te as a marker of the simple past tense and the suffix -(e)t in the
past participle. The stem stays the same in all forms. Once the infinitive of a regular weak
verb is known, all other forms can be derived according to regular rules.
SIMPLE PAST PAST
INFINITIVE TENSE (3 SG.) PARTICIPLE ENGLISH
bauenbaute gebaut to build
For more details about regular weak verbs, see individual tense profiles beginning on page 7.
The German Verb5
Strong Verbs Strong verbs are sometimes called “irregular strong verbs” or “irregular verbs”
because the tenses differ from one another in significant and seemingly unpredictable ways.
The stem vowel in the simple past tense is different from that of the present tense. Some
strong verbs also change one or more stem consonants. Most have a sound change in the past
participle as well. Strong verbs also have the suffix -(e)n in the past participle.
SIMPLE PAST PAST
INFINITIVE TENSE (3 SG.) PARTICIPLEENGLISH
ziehen zog gezogen to pull
There are only about 200 strong verbs in German. For more details about strong verbs, see
individual tense profiles beginning on page 7.
Mixed Verbs Mixed verbs are a small group of verbs that are like regular weak verbs in
some ways, but like strong verbs in other ways. They are thus sometimes called “irregular
mixed verbs” or “irregular weak verbs.” Like regular weak verbs, mixed verbs have -te as a
marker of the simple past tense, and the past participle ends in -t. Like strong verbs, however,
mixed verbs have a stem or vowel change in the simple past.
SIMPLE PAST PAST
INFINITIVE TENSE (3 SG.) PARTICIPLEENGLISH
bringenbrachte gebrachtto bring
There are very few mixed verbs in German; the following is a list of them, grouped according
to conjugation pattern.
brennen, kennen, nennen, rennen senden, wendenbringen, denken
For more details about mixed verbs, see individual tense profiles beginning on page 7.
Modal Verbs Modal verbs modify the main verb’s meaning with respect to concepts such as
ability, desire, intention, permission, and obligation. For example, consider the action ex-
pressed in the sentence Herr Smith spricht Elbisch. (Mr. Smith speaks Elvish.) Different at-
titudes toward the action of speaking Elvish can be supplied with the addition of the modal
verbs, for example, wollen to want (to) and können can.
Herr Smith will Elbisch sprechen. Mr. Smith wants to speak Elvish.
Herr Smith kann Elbisch sprechen. Mr. Smith can speak Elvish.
There are six modal verbs in German.
dürfen, können, mögen, müssen, sollen, wollen
In their conjugations, modal verbs differ to some extent from other verb classes, although
they share some patterns with other verbs. For more details about modal verbs, see individual
tense profiles beginning on page 7. See also pages 30–31 for word order with modal verbs.
The Verbs haben, sein, tun, werden, and wissen The verbs haben to have, sein to be, tun
to do, werden to become, and wissen to know do not fit neatly into any of the four classes de-
scribed above. Their differences are explained in the tense profiles beginning on page 7.
A Note about Verb Class Some German verbs belong to more than one class. They are
sometimes regular weak and sometimes strong, depending on meaning and context. Exam-
ples include bleichen, glimmen, and schrecken. A small number of verbs follow the pat-
terns of one verb class in some tenses, but another verb class in other tenses; examples
include backen, hauen, mahlen, and schallen. Details for these verbs are provided in their
conjugation tables.
Principal Parts of the Verb
The infinitive of a verb is its entry word in most German dictionaries. This book presents
verbs based on infinitives in alphabetical order. Three other verb forms are provided below
the infinitive: the third-person singular, present tense form; the third-person singular, simple
past tense form; and the past participle. These three forms plus the infinitive make up the
four principal parts of the verb. All other forms of a German verb can be derived from these
four forms (except for a few highly irregular verbs). Let verb No. 116, brechen to break, serve
as an example.
6THE BASICS OF CONJUGATION
brechen
bricht · brach · gebrochen
FORMS DERIVED FROM THEFORMS DERIVED FROM THE FORMS DERIVED FROM THE
INFINITIVE brechenPRESENT TENSE (3 SG.) bricht SIMPLE PAST TENSE (3 SG.) brach
PRESENT
ich breche wir brechen
ihr brecht du brichst
Sie brechenSie brechen
sie brechener/sie/es bricht
SIMPLE PAST
ich brachwir brachen
du brachst ihr bracht
Sie brachenSie brachen
er/sie/es brachsie brachen
PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE I
ich breche wir brechen
du brechestihr brechet
Sie brechenSie brechen
er/sie/es breche sie brechen
PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE II
ich bräche wir brächen
du brächestihr brächet
Sie brächenSie brächen
er/sie/es bräche sie brächen
IMPERATIVE
brecht!brich!
brechen Sie! brechen Sie!
FUTURE
FUTURE SUBJUNCTIVE I … brechen (all forms)
FUTURE SUBJUNCTIVE II
Infinitive: brechen The following tenses and forms can be derived from the infinitive (refer
to the table above): the first-person singular, second-person singular formal, and all plural
forms of the present indicative; all forms of the present subjunctive I; the plural familiar im-
perative; and the singular and plural formal imperative. The future, future subjunctive I, and
future subjunctive II tenses use the infinitive brechen as the second component of all forms.
Third-person Singular, Present Tense: bricht The second-person singular familiar of the
present indicative and the singular familiar imperative can be derived from this principal part.
Third-person Singular, Simple Past Tense: brach All other simple past tense forms, as well
as all forms of the present subjunctive II, can be derived from this principal part. (A very few
strong verbs have present subjunctive II forms that cannot be derived from the four principal
parts. They must be individually learned.)
FORMS DERIVED FROM THE
PAST PARTICIPLE gebrochen
PRESENT PERFECT
PAST PERFECT
FUTURE PERFECT
PAST SUBJUNCTIVE I
… gebrochen (all forms)
PAST SUBJUNCTIVE II
FUTURE PERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE I
FUTURE PERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE II
PASSIVE (all tenses)
Past Participle: gebrochen All other compound tenses, including all tenses of the passive
voice, use the past participle as their second component.
The Present7
THE CONJUGATION BANNER
English meaningsInfinitiveVerb number
to abandon, give up; assign; give, hand in auf·geben
strong verbgibt auf · gab auf · aufgegeben 26
Verb class3sg. present 3sg. simple past Past participle
The Conjugation Banner
In the box above, the conjugation banner for the German verb auf·geben is shown. Many
German verbs have prefixes that separate from the stem when conjugated in a main clause.
Such verbs are indicated by a centerline dot between the prefix and the basic verb; in this
instance, the separable prefix is auf. The third-person forms show the prefix separated from
the basic verb as it would be in a sentence.
THE SIMPLE TENSES
German verb tenses can be grouped into simple and compound tenses. Generally speaking,
a German verb in a simple tense does not need an auxiliary (helping) verb to be complete.
By contrast, a verb in a compound tense requires an auxiliary verb.
There are four simple tenses in German.
Present (indicative) (see below)
Simple past (indicative) (see page 12)
Present subjunctive I(see page 15)
Present subjunctive II (see page 15)
The Present
In German, the present tense is usually called Präsens or Gegenwart. The present tense
forms of German verbs are made up of a stem and an ending.
Regular Weak, Strong, and Mixed Verbs To form the present tense of all regular weak
and mixed verbs, as well as most strong verbs, first take the infinitive and drop the ending; the
result is the infinitive stem.
lachen to laugh [drop -en] lach-jodeln to yodel [drop -n] jodel-
atmen to breathe [drop -en] atm-singen to sing [drop -en] sing-
wandern to hike [drop -n] wander- senden to send [drop -en] send-
Now add the present tense endings to the infinitive stem. The regular weak verb lachen and
the strong verb singen show the basic endings for the present tense.
lachen to laugh (STEM lach-) singen to sing (STEM sing-)
ich lachewir lachenich singe wir singen
du lachstihr lacht du singst ihr singt
Sie lachen Sie lachenSie singenSie singen
er/sie/es lachtsie lachener/sie/es singt sie singen
• The forms for Sie-singular, wir, Sie-plural, and sie-plural are always the same in any given
tense. This is true for all verb classes.
• There are some minor adjustments that must be made to some of the endings for certain
verbs. They are necessary when certain sounds at the end of the verb stem join with the
8 THE SIMPLE TENSES
endings. It is best to think of these adjustments as adaptations instead of exceptions: The
verb has to adapt to the ending by either adding or dropping certain letters/sounds.
The following five adjustment rules apply to verbs in the present tense in general. Special
features of the present tense of each verb class are subsequently presented.
• Rule 1. If the infinitive stem ends in -m or -n preceded by a consonant other than h, l,
m, n, or r, then -e- is inserted after the stem in the du, er/sie/es, and ihr forms.
atmen to breathe (STEM atm-)
ich atmewir atmen
du atmest ihr atmet
Sie atmen Sie atmen
er/sie/es atmet sie atmen
Thus, for example, the third-person singular form for atmen is atmet, because the stem
ends in -m preceded by the sound t. By contrast, although the stem for the verb qual-
men also ends in -m, the m is preceded by the sound l and thus has the third-person
singular form without -e- inserted: qualmt.
If the preceding h is part of a consonant cluster such as ch, sch, or th, the extra -e- is
inserted. Thus, for example, the third-person singular form for rechnen is rechnet,
because the stem ending in -n is preceded by the sound ch (a consonant cluster, not
simple h).
• Rule 2. If the infinitive stem ends in -s, -ß, x, or z, then the s in the -st ending of the
du form is omitted and the ending is simply -t. Examples include rasen (du rast),
fassen (du fasst), grüßen (du grüßt), feixen (du feixt), and sitzen (du sitzt).
This rule does not apply to stems ending in -sch, for example, kreischen (du kreischst).
• Rule 3. If the infinitive stem ends in -ie, then the ending for the Sie-singular, wir, Sie-
plural, and sie-plural forms is simply -n. The ich form has no extra -e added.
knien to kneel (STEM knie-)
ich kniee wir knien
du kniest ihr kniet
Sie knien Sie knien
er/sie/es kniet sie knien
• Rule 4. If the infinitive stem ends in -el or -er, then the ending for the Sie-singular,
wir, Sie-plural, and sie-plural forms is simply -n.
wandern to hike (STEM wander-)
ich wandere wir wandern
du wanderst ihr wandert
Sie wandern Sie wandern
er/sie/es wandert sie wandern
• Rule 5. If the infinitive stem ends in -el, then the e of the stem is optionally dropped in
the ich form. For example, it is correct to use either jodle or jodele for the first-person
singular form of jodeln. The optional nature of this rule is shown in the conjugations by
parentheses around the e: jod(e)le.
Special Features of Regular Weak Verbs and Mixed Verbs
Insertion of -e- In addition to the five rules above, the following rule applies to the present
tense of all regular weak verbs and all mixed verbs. For verbs whose infinitive stem ends in -d
or -t, it is necessary to insert -e- after the stem in the du, er/sie/es, and ihr forms.
retten to rescue (STEM rett-)senden to send (STEM send-)
ich rette wir retten ich sende wir senden
du rettestihr rettet du sendestihr sendet
Sie rettenSie retten Sie sendenSie senden
er/sie/es rettetsie retten er/sie/es sendetsie senden
The Present 9
Further examples include berichten (berichtest, berichtet), reden (redest, redet), trösten
(tröstest, tröstet), vermuten (vermutest, vermutet), and wenden (wendest, wendet).
Special Features of Strong Verbs
In addition to the five rules above, the following rules apply to the present tense of strong
verbs.
Stem Change Some strong verbs have vowel changes in the second- and third-person sin-
gular, present tense forms, as shown in the conjugations of fahren and brechen.
fahren to drive (STEM fahr-)brechen to break (STEM brech-)
ich fahrewir fahren ich brechewir brechen
du fährstihr fahrtdu brichstihr brecht
Sie fahren Sie fahren Sie brechen Sie brechen
er/sie/es fährtsie fahren er/sie/es brichtsie brechen
The following table shows the range of vowel changes with an example verb for each change.
aä au äu e i e ie ä ieoö öi
INFINITIVE fallenlaufennehmen sehen gebären stoßen löschen
PRESENT TENSE (2 SG.)fällstläufstnimmst siehstgebierst stößt lischst
PRESENT TENSE (3 SG.)fällt läuft nimmtsieht gebiert stößtlischt
Notice the stem consonant change in nehmen: the h is dropped and the m is doubled. Con-
sonant changes apply to only a few verbs. To determine whether a verb’s stem changes in the
du and er/sie/es forms of the present tense, see the verb’s conjugation table in this book.
Limited Insertion of -e- If the infinitive stem of a strong verb ends in -d or -t, then
• Insert -e- after the stem in the du and er/sie/es forms only if those forms do not show the stem
vowel change just described above.
• Insert -e- after the stem in the ihr form, regardless of the stem vowel.
The following examples illustrate this rule. With the verb reiten, -e- is inserted in the ihr
form, as well as in the du and er/sie/es forms. With the verb halten, -e- is inserted only in
the ihr form.
reiten to ride (STEM reit-) halten to hold (STEM halt-)
ich reite wir reitenich haltewir halten
du reitestihr reitetdu hältstihr haltet
Sie reitenSie reitenSie halten Sie halten
er/sie/es reitetsie reitener/sie/es hält sie halten
If the vowel-changing stem ends in -t, the er/sie/es form does not add another t: hält.
Following are other verbs for which -e- is not added because of a vowel change.
bersten bratenfechten flechtengelten raten tretenladen
ichberstebrate fechteflechtegelteratetrete lade
du birst brätstfichtstflichtst giltst rätst trittst lädst
er/sie/esbirst brätfichtflicht gilt rät tritt lädt
• With bersten, the stem-ending -st is omitted: birst st birst.X
• With treten, the stem-ending -t in the second- and third-person singular forms is dou-
bled: trittst, tritt.
Modal Verbs The modal verbs are conjugated as follows in the present tense.
dürfen to be allowed to (STEM dürf-) können can, to be able to (STEM könn-)
ich darfwir dürfen ich kann wir können
du darfst ihr dürftdu kannstihr könnt
Sie dürfenSie dürfen Sie können Sie können
er/sie/es darfsie dürfen er/sie/es kann sie können
10 THE SIMPLE TENSES
mögen to like (to) (STEM mög-) müssen must, to have to (STEM müss-)
ich mag wir mögenich muss wir müssen
du magstihr mögt du musst ihr müsst
Sie mögen Sie mögenSie müssen Sie müssen
er/sie/es mag sie mögener/sie/es muss sie müssen
sollen should, to be supposed to
(STEM soll-) wollen to want (to) (STEM woll-)
ich sollwir sollen ich will wir wollen
du sollst ihr solltdu willstihr wollt
Sie sollenSie sollen Sie wollen Sie wollen
er/sie/es sollsie sollen er/sie/es will sie wollen
• The first- and third-person singular forms have no endings.
• The stem vowel changes in the ich, du, and er/sie/es forms for all the modal verbs except
sollen.
• The endings for the Sie, wir, ihr, and sie-plural forms are the same as the present tense
endings of regular weak, strong, and mixed verbs.
The Verbs haben, sein, tun, werden, and wissen The verbs haben, sein, werden, and
wissen are conjugated in the present tense as follows.
haben to have (STEM hab-)sein to be, exist (STEM sei-)
ich habewir habenich binwir sind
du hast ihr habt du bistihr seid
Sie haben Sie habenSie sind Sie sind
er/sie/es hat sie habener/sie/es istsie sind
werden to become (STEM werd-)wissen to know (STEM wiss-)
ich werde wir werden ich weiß wir wissen
du wirstihr werdet du weißt ihr wisst
Sie werdenSie werden Sie wissen Sie wissen
er/sie/es wirdsie werden er/sie/es weiß sie wissen
• With haben, the du and er/sie/es forms do not have the b of the stem.
• Sein has a highly irregular conjugation.
• Werden is regular except in the du and er/sie/es forms.
• Wissen conjugates much like a modal verb: the ich and er/sie/es forms have no endings.
The ich, du, and er/sie/es forms have the stem-vowel change i ei. The ss becomes ß
after the diphthong ei due to general spelling rules (see page 38).
In the present tense, tun conjugates like the regular weak verb wandern (see page 8); its stem
is simply tu-.
Verbs with Prefixes
Separable Prefix Verbs German has many verbs that consist of a base verb and a comple-
ment that changes the meaning of the base verb. English has such verbs as well, for example,
to pick up, to stand up. Unlike English, the German complement forms one word with the
verb; it is considered a prefix of the verb and is joined to the base in the infinitive form.
abholento pick up
aufstehento stand up
Common separable prefixes include the following.
abbeifort nach wegzusammen
aneinhernieder weiter zwischen
auf emporhinvorzu
aus entgegen mitvorbei zurück
The Present 11
When these verbs are conjugated in the simple tenses and are in a main clause, the prefix sep-
arates from the base verb and is placed at the end of the main clause.
Ich hole dich morgen am Bahnhof ab.I’ll pick you up at the train station tomorrow.
Inseparable Prefix Verbs Other German verbs have prefixes that do not separate from the
base verb, for example, besuchen, entwerten, erfinden, verlieren. Common inseparable
prefixes include the following.
beentge zer
emp er ver
Two-way Prefix Verbs Some verbs have prefixes that separate with some meanings and do
not separate with others, for example, übersetzen (to translate as inseparable, to set across as
separable). The most common of these prefixes are the following.
durch über unterwider
hinterum voll wieder
The presence of a separable or inseparable prefix has no direct impact on the form of the verb
stem or endings; a base verb generally conjugates the same regardless of what prefix might
be added to it. However, the two types of prefixes have differing effects on past participle for-
mation (see pages 21–22). For more detailed information on German word order with sepa-
rable prefix verbs, see the discussion of the sentence frame on pages 36–37.
In this book, separable prefix verbs are indicated by a centerline dot in the infinitive in the
page banners: ab·holen, auf·stehen, nieder·legen, vorbei·kommen. To save space and avoid
confusion in the conjugation tables, the prefix is not repeated eight times in each simple tense
but is bracketed after the base verb forms as follows.
ich holewir holen
du holstihr holt
ab
Sie holen Sie holen
er/sie/es holtsie holen
This paradigm is to be interpreted as follows.
ich hole abwir holen ab
du holst abihr holt ab
Sie holen ab Sie holen ab
er/sie/es holt absie holen ab
Uses of the Present Tense
The present tense is used to talk about events that are currently happening, as well as ongo-
ing, recurring, and habitual actions. The English translation varies, depending on context.
Die Katze schläft auf dem Sofa.The cat is asleep on the sofa.
Julia studiert Jura. Julia is majoring in law.
Ich schlafe auf einem Futon. I sleep on a futon.
It can also express future events, especially when an adverb of time is included. English some-
times uses the present tense in such cases, but not as commonly as German.
Im Mai reisen wir nach Vancouver.We will travel to Vancouver in May.
Morgen bleibt Silke zu Hause.Silke is staying home tomorrow.
Wir kaufen nächstes Jahr ein Haus. We will buy a house next year.
Actions that began in the past and continue to the present are expressed with the present
tense plus a prepositional phrase with seit or plus the adverb schon.
Wie lange seid ihr schon da? How long have you been here?
Wir wohnen seit einem Jahr hier. We’ve lived here for a year.
German has only one present tense form, whereas English has three.
Niklas is playing the piano.
Niklas spielt Klavier. Niklas plays the piano.
Niklas does play the piano.
12THE SIMPLE TENSES
The Simple Past
In German, the simple past tense is usually called Präteritum or Imperfekt. Other English
names for the simple past include the “imperfect,” “preterite,” and “narrative past.”
Regular Weak Verbs To form the simple past tense of regular weak verbs, add -t- and per-
sonal endings to the infinitive stem, as illustrated with the verb lachen. (To determine the in-
finitive stem, see page 7.)
lachen to laugh (STEM lach-)
ich lachtewir lachten
du lachtest ihr lachtet
Sie lachten Sie lachten
er/sie/es lachtesie lachten
The endings comprise the tense marker -t- followed by personal markers for the various per-
sons and numbers, as follows.
-t-e-t-en
-t-est-t-et
-t-en -t-en
-t-e-t-en
There are minor adjustments that must be made to the conjugation of certain regular weak
verbs in the simple past.
• Insert -e- after the stem in all forms where
• The infinitive stem ends in -d or -t, or
• The infinitive stem ends in -m or -n preceded by a consonant other than l, m, n, r, or
simple h. (If the h is part of a consonant cluster such as ch, sch, or th, then the extra -e-
is inserted.)
reden to talk (STEM red-) atmen to breathe (STEM atm-)
ich redete wir redetenich atmetewir atmeten
du redetestihr redetetdu atmetest ihr atmetet
Sie redetenSie redetenSie atmeten Sie atmeten
er/sie/es redete sie redetener/sie/es atmetesie atmeten
Thus, for example, the third-person singular form for rechnen is rechnete. By contrast,
although the stem for the verb lernen, for example, ends in -n, the n is preceded by the
sound r, and thus the third-person singular form has no -e- inserted: lernte.
Strong Verbs The simple past tense of strong verbs shows a change in the vowel of the stem
in all forms. Endings are added as illustrated by the verbs beginnen and greifen.
beginnen to begingreifen to grasp
ich begann wir begannenich griff wir griffen
du begannstihr begannt du griffstihr grifft
Sie begannen Sie begannenSie griffen Sie griffen
er/sie/es begann sie begannener/sie/es griff sie griffen
• The ich and er/sie/es forms are characterized by the lack of an ending; this is true for all
strong verbs in the simple past. This form is sometimes called the simple past stem, since
the simple past forms for all other persons can be derived from it.
• The verb greifen shows a consonant change: f ff. Many strong verbs have a consonant
change as well as a vowel change in the stem.
• There are minor adjustments that must be made to the endings of certain strong verbs in
the simple past.
• In the du form of strong verbs whose simple past stem ends in -chs, -s, -ß, -z, or some-
times -sch, -e- is inserted before the -st ending, for example, du wuchsest, lasest,
schlossest, aßest, schmolzest, wuschest, but du droschst.
The Simple Past 13
• If the simple past stem of a strong verb ends in -d or -t, -e- is inserted before the -t end-
ing of the ihr form, for example, ihr fochtet, hieltet, ludet, tratet, wandet.
For certain strong verbs, -e- is inserted before the -st ending of the du form as well, for
example, du fochtest, wandest, but du hieltst, ludst, tratst. The -e- insertion rule ap-
plies only to certain verbs, and grammar authorities generally consider the insertion ar-
chaic. When in doubt, refer to the conjugation table of a particular verb.
• If the simple past stem of a strong verb ends in -e, the ending -en is reduced to -n to
avoid two es in a row; the verb schreien (ich schrie, but wir schrien) is an example.
• The changes in the simple past forms of strong verbs are not as unpredictable as they
seem. They can be grouped into what are called “ablaut” patterns. (The German word
Ablaut means simply “vowel change.”) The verbs in each ablaut pattern have similar vowel
changes, although the consonant changes, if any, may differ. English, too, has verbs with
ablaut: begin, began; speak, spoke. These similarities help English speakers quickly grasp the
German verb forms.
The verb greifen, whose simple past tense forms are given above, shows the vowel change
ei i from the infinitive to the simple past. Although there are about 40 different ablaut
patterns in all, the following patterns account for more than half of all strong verbs.
auea ei i ei ieie oia
INFINITIVEfahren sehen beißen schreibenbiegentrinken
SIMPLE PAST TENSE (3 SG.) fuhr sah biss schriebbog trank
All ablaut patterns are represented in the conjugation tables of this book.
Mixed Verbs In the simple past tense, mixed verbs share aspects of both regular weak verbs
and strong verbs. Like regular weak verbs, they have the tense marker -t-, but they also have
a stem vowel change (and sometimes a consonant change), like strong verbs. The mixed verbs
are conjugated according to four patterns.
bringen to bring denken to think
ich brachte wir brachten ich dachte wir dachten
du brachtestihr brachtet du dachtestihr dachtet
Sie brachtenSie brachten Sie dachtenSie dachten
er/sie/es brachte sie brachten er/sie/es dachte sie dachten
kennen to know senden to send
ich kanntewir kanntenich sandte wir sandten
du kanntest ihr kanntetdu sandtestihr sandtet
Sie kannten Sie kanntenSie sandtenSie sandten
er/sie/es kanntesie kanntener/sie/es sandte sie sandten
• The verbs brennen, nennen, and rennen conjugate like kennen. The verb wenden con-
jugates like senden (but it is sometimes conjugated as a regular weak verb: wendete).
• Senden, when it means to broadcast, is conjugated as a regular weak verb: sendete.
Modal Verbs The modal verbs are conjugated as follows in the simple past tense.
dürfen to be allowed tokönnen can, to be able to
ich durftewir durftenich konnte wir konnten
du durftest ihr durftetdu konntestihr konntet
Sie durften Sie durftenSie konntenSie konnten
er/sie/es durftesie durftener/sie/es konnte sie konnten
mögen to like (to) müssen must, to have to
ich mochtewir mochtenich musste wir mussten
du mochtest ihr mochtetdu musstestihr musstet
Sie mochten Sie mochtenSie musstenSie mussten
er/sie/es mochtesie mochtener/sie/es musste sie mussten
14THE SIMPLE TENSES
sollen should, to be supposed to wollen to want (to)
ich solltewir solltenich wollte wir wollten
du solltest ihr solltetdu wolltestihr wolltet
Sie sollten Sie solltenSie wolltenSie wollten
er/sie/es solltesie solltener/sie/es wollte sie wollten
• As in other verb classes in the simple past, the first- and third-person singular forms of
modal verbs are identical.
• There are no umlauts in the simple 第1页 / 共706页 第2页 / 共706页 第3页 / 共706页 ©版权说明： 本文档由用户提供并上传，收益归属内容提供方，若内容存在侵权，请进行举报或认领！ |
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