Verbs are usually used with a noun, with a pronoun such as I, you or she, or with somebody’s name. They can relate to the present, the past and the future; this is called their tense.What is a verb?
A verb is a ‘doing’ word which describes what someone or something does, what someone or something is, or what happens to them, for example, be, sing, live.
Verbs are usually used with a noun, with a pronoun such as I, you or she, or with somebody’s name. They can relate to the present, the past and the future; this is called their tense.
For more information on Nouns and Pronouns, see pages 1 and 69.
Verbs are either:
OR
English verbs have a base form (the form of the verb without any endings added to it, for example, walk). This is the form you look up in a dictionary. The base form can have to in front of it, for example, to walk. This is called the infinitive.
German verbs also have an infinitive, which is the form shown in a dictionary; most weak, strong and mixed verbs end in -en. For example, holen (meaning to fetch) is weak, helfen (meaning to help) is strong and denken (meaning to think) is mixed. All German verbs belong to one of these groups. We will look at each of these three groups in turn on the next few pages.
English verbs have other forms apart from the base form and infinitive: a form ending in -s (walks), a form ending in -ing (walking), and a form ending in -ed (walked).
German verbs have many more forms than this, which are made up of endings added to a stem. The stem of a verb can usually be worked out from the infinitive and can change, depending on the tense of the verb and who or what you are talking about.
German verb endings also change, depending on who or what you are talking about: ich (I), du (you (informal)), er/sie/es (he/she/it), Sie (you (formal)) in the singular, or wir (we), ihr (you (informal)), Sie (you (formal)) and sie (they) in the plural. German verbs also have different forms depending on whether you are referring to the present, future or past.
For Verb Tables, see supplement.
German verbs have different forms depending on what noun or pronoun they are used with, and on their tense.
They are made up of a stem and an ending. The stem is based on the infinitive and can change in form.
All German verbs fit into one of three patterns or conjugations: weak (and regular), strong (and irregular) or mixed (a mixture of the two).
What is the present tense?
The present tense is used to talk about what is true at the moment, what happens regularly and what is happening now, for example, I’m a student, I travel to college by train, I’m studying languages.
In English there are two forms of the present tense. One is used to talk about things happening now and the other is used for things that happen all the time. In German, you use the same form for both of these.
| Es regnet. | It’s raining. |
| Sie spielen Fußball. | They’re playing football. |
| Hier regnet es viel. | It rains a lot here. |
| Samstags spielen sie Fußball. | They play football on Saturdays. |
In German there are three alternative ways of emphasizing that something is happening now:
| Er kocht gerade das Abendessen. | He’s cooking dinner. |
| Ich bin beim Bügeln. | I am ironing |
| Sie ist gerade dabei, eine E-Mail zu schreiben. | She is just writing an email. |
In English you can also use the present tense to talk about something that is going to happen in the near future. You can do the same in German.
| Morgen spiele ich Tennis. | I’m going to play tennis tomorrow. |
| Wir nehmen den Zug um zehn Uhr. | We’re getting the ten o’clock train. |
Although English sometimes uses parts of the verb to be to form the present tense of other verbs (for example, I am listening, she’s talking). German NEVER uses the verb sein in this way.
When using seit or seitdem to describe an action which began in the past and is continuing in the present, the present tense is used in German, where in English a verb form with have or has is used.
| Ich wohne seit drei Jahren hier. | I have been living here for three years. |
| Seit er krank ist, hat er uns nicht besucht. | He hasn’t visited us since he’s been ill. |
| Seitdem sie am Gymnasium ist, hat sie kaum mehr Zeit. | Since she’s been going to grammar school, she’s hardly had any time. |
Note that if the action is finished, the perfect tense is used in German.
| Seit seinem Unfall habe ich ihn nur ein einziges Mal gesehen. | I have only seen him once since his accident. |
Forming the present tense of weak verbs
Nearly all weak verbs in German end in -en in their infinitive form. This is the form of the verb you find in the dictionary, for example, spielen, machen, holen. Weak verbs are regular and their changes follow a set pattern or conjugation.
To know which form of the verb to use in German, you need to work out what the stem of the verb is and then add the correct ending. The stem of most verbs in the present tense is formed by chopping the -en off the infinitive.
| Infinitive | Stem (without -en) |
| spielen (to play) | spiel- |
| machen (to make) | mach- |
| holen (to fetch) | hol- |
Where the infinitive of a weak verb ends in -eln or -ern, only the -n is chopped off to form the stem.
| Infinitive | Stem (without -n) |
| wandern (to hillwalk) | wander- |
| segeln (to sail) | segel- |
Now you know how to find the stem of a verb, you can add the correct ending. Which one you choose will depend on whether you are referring to ich, du, er, sie, es, wir, ihr, Sie or sie.
For more information on Pronouns, see page 69.
Here are the present tense endings for weak verbs ending in -en:
| Pronoun | Ending | Add to Stem, e.g. spiel- |
Meanings |
| ich | -e | ich spiele | I play I am playing |
| du | -st | du spielst | you play you are playing |
| er sie es |
-t | er spielt sie spielt es spielt |
he/she/it plays he/she/it is playing |
| wir | -en | wir spielen | we play we are playing |
| ihr | -t | ihr spielt | you (plural) play you are playing |
sie Sie |
-en | sie spielen Sie spielen |
they play they are playing you (polite) play you are playing |
| Sie macht ihre Hausaufgaben. | She’s doing her homework. |
| Er holt die Kinder. | He’s fetching the children. |
Note that you add -n, not -en to the stem of weak verbs ending in -ern and -eln to get the wir, sie and Sie forms of the present tense.
| Pronoun | Ending | Add to Stem, e.g. wander- |
Meanings |
| wir | -n | wir wandern | we hillwalk we are hillwalking |
sie Sie |
-n | sie wandern Sie wandern |
they hillwalk they are hillwalking you (polite) hillwalk you are hillwalking |
| Sie wandern gern, oder? | You like hillwalking, don’t you? |
| Im Sommer wandern wir fast jedes Wochenende. | In the summer we go hillwalking most weekends. |
If the stem of a weak verb ends in -d or -t, an extra -e is added before the usual endings in the du, er, sie, es and ihr parts of the verb to make pronunciation easier.
| Pronoun | Ending | Add to Stem, e.g. red- |
Meanings |
| du | -est | du redest | you talk you are talking |
| er sie es |
-et | er redet sie redet es redet |
he/she/it talks he/she/it is talks |
| ihr | -et | ihr redet | you (plural) talk you are talking |
| Du redest doch die ganze Zeit über deine Arbeit! | You talk about your work all the time! |
| Pronoun | Ending | Add to Stem, e.g. arbeit- |
Meanings |
| du | -est | du arbeitest | you work you are working |
| er sie es |
-et | er arbeitet sie arbeitet es arbeitet |
he/she/it works he/she/it is working |
| ihr | -et | ihr arbeitet | you (plural) work you are working |
| Sie arbeitet übers Wochenende. | She’s working over the weekend. |
| Ihr arbeitet ganz schön viel. | You work a lot. |
If the stem of a weak verb ends in -m or -n, this extra -e is added to make pronunciation easier. If the -m or -n has a consonant in front of it, the -e is added, except if the consonant is l, r or h, for example lernen.
| Pronoun | Ending | Add to Stem, e.g. atm- |
Meanings |
| du | -est | du atmest | you breathe you are breathing |
| er sie es |
-et | er atmet sie atmet es atmet |
he/she/it breathes he/she/it is breathing |
| ihr | -et | ihr atmet | you (plural) breathe you are breathing |
| Du atmest ganz tief. | You’re breathing very deeply. |
| Sie lernt alles ganz schnell. | She learns everything very quickly. |
Key points
Weak verbs are regular and most of them form their present tense stem by losing the -en from the infinitive.
The present tense endings for weak verbs ending in -en are: -e, -st, -t, -en, -t, -en, -en.
If the stem of a weak verb ends in -d, -t, -m or -n, an extra -e is added before the endings to make pronunciation easier.
Forming the present tense of strong verbs
The present tense of most strong verbs is formed with the same endings that are used for weak verbs.
| Pronoun | Ending | Add to Stem, e.g. sing- |
Meanings |
| ich | -e | ich singe | I sing I am singing |
| du | -st | du singst | you sing you are singing |
| er sie es |
-t | er singt sie singt es singt |
he/she/it sings he/she/it is singing |
| wir | -en | wir singen | we sing we are singing |
| ihr | -t | ihr singt | you (plural) sing you are singing |
sie Sie |
-en | sie singen Sie singen |
they sing they are singing you (polite) sing you are singing |
| Sie singen in einer Gruppe. | They sing in a band. |
However, the vowels in stems of most strong verbs change for the du and er/sie/es forms. The vowels listed below change as shown in nearly all cases:
| long e | → | ie (see sehen) | |
| short e | → | i (see helfen) | |
| a | → | ä (see fahren) | |
| au | → | äu (see laufen) | |
| o | → | ö (see stoßen) | |
 |
long e | → | ie |
| Pronoun | Ending | Add to Stem, e.g. seh- |
Meanings |
| ich | -e | ich sehe | I see I am seeing |
| du | -st | du siehst | you see you are seeing |
| er sie es |
-t | er sieht sie sieht es sieht |
he/she/it sees he/she/it is seeing |
| wir | -en | wir sehen | we see we are seeing |
| ihr | -t | ihr seht | you (plural) see you are seeing |
sie Sie |
-en |
sie sehen Sie sehen |
they see they are seeing you (polite) see you are seeing |
| Siehst du fern? | Are you watching TV? |
| short e → i |
| Pronoun | Ending | Add to Stem, e.g. helf- |
Meanings |
| ich | -e | ich helfe | I help I am helping |
| du | -st | du hilfst | you help you are helping |
| er sie es |
-t | er hilft sie hilft es hilft |
he/she/it helps he/she/it is helping |
| wir | -en | wir helfen | we help we are helping |
| ihr | -t | ihr helft | you (plural) help you are helping |
sie Sie |
-en |
sie helfen Sie helfen |
they help they are helping you (polite) help you are helping |
| Heute hilft er beim Kochen. | He’s helping with the cooking today. |
| Pronoun | Ending | Add to Stem, e.g. fahr- |
Meanings |
| ich | -e | ich fahre | I drive I am driving |
| du | -st | du fährst | you drive you are driving |
| er sie es |
-t | er fährt sie fährt es fährt |
he/she/it drives he/she/it is driving |
| wir | -en | wir fahren | we drive we are driving |
| ihr | -t | ihr fahrt | you (plural) drive you are driving |
|
sie Sie |
-en |
sie fahren Sie fahren |
they drive they are driving you (polite) drive you are driving |
| Am Samstag fährt sie nach Italien. | She’s driving to Italy on Saturday. |
| Pronoun | Ending | Add to Stem, e.g. lauf- |
Meanings |
| ich | -e | ich laufe | I run I am running |
| du | -st | du läufst | you run you are running |
| er sie es |
-t | er läuft sie läuft es läuft |
he/she/it runs he/she/it is running |
| wir | -en | wir laufen | we run we are running |
| ihr | -t | ihr lauft | you (plural) run you are running |
|
sie Sie |
-en |
sie laufen Sie laufen |
they run they are running you (polite) run you are running |
| Er läuft die 100 Meter in Rekordzeit. |
He runs the 100 metres in record time. |
| o → ö |
| Pronoun | Ending | Add to Stem, e.g. stoß- |
Meanings |
| ich | -e | ich stoße | I push I am pushing |
| du | -st | du stößt | you push you are pushing |
| er Sie es |
-t | er stößt sie stößt es stößt |
he/she/it pushes he/she/it is pushing |
| wir | -en | wir stoßen | we push we are pushing |
| ihr | -t | ihr stoßt | you (plural) push you are pushing |
|
sie Sie |
-en |
sie stoßen Sie stoßen |
they push they are pushing you (polite) push you are pushing |
| Pass auf, dass du nicht an den | Watch that you don’t bump |
| Tisch stößt. | into the table. |
Note that strong AND weak verbs whose stem ends in -s, -z, -ss or -ß (such as stoßen) add -t rather than -st to get the du form in the present tense. However, if the stem ends in -sch, the normal -st is added.
| Verb | Stem | Du Form |
| wachsen | wachs- | wächst |
| waschen | wasch- | wäschst |
Key points
Strong verbs have the same endings in the present tense as weak verbs.
The vowel or vowels of the stem of strong verbs change(s) in the present for the du and er/sie/es forms.
Forming the present tense of mixed verbs
There are nine mixed verbs in German. They are very common and are formed according to a mixture of the rules already explained for weak and strong verbs.
| Mixed Verb |
Meaning | Mixed Verb |
Meaning | Mixed Verb |
Meaning |
| brennen | to burn | kennen | to know | senden | to send |
| bringen | to bring | nennen | to name | wenden | to turn |
| denken | to think | rennen | to run | wissen | to know |
The present tense of mixed verbs has the same endings as weak verbs and has no vowel or consonant changes in the stem: ich bringe, du bringst, er/sie/es bringt, wir bringen, ihr bringt, sie bringen, Sie bringen.
| Sie bringt mich nach Hause. | She’s bringing me home. |
| Bringst du mir etwas mit? | Will you bring something for me? |
Note that the present tense of the most important strong, weak and mixed verbs is shown in the Verb Tables.
For Verb Tables, see supplement.
Key points
There are nine mixed verbs in German.
The present tense of mixed verbs has the same endings as weak verbs and has no vowel or consonant changes in the stem.
What is a reflexive verb?
A reflexive verb is one where the subject and object are the same, and where the action ‘reflects back’ on the subject. Reflexive verbs are used with a reflexive pronoun such as myself, yourself and herself in English, for example, I washed myself; He shaved himself.
In German, reflexive verbs are much more common than in English, and many are used in everyday German. Reflexive verbs consist of two parts: the reflexive pronoun sich (meaning himself, herself, itself, themselves or oneself) and the infinitive of the verb.
For more information on Reflexive pronouns, see page 84.
Forming the present tense of reflexive verbs
Reflexive verbs are often used to describe things you do (to yourself) every day or that involve a change of some sort (getting dressed, sitting down, getting excited, being in a hurry).
The reflexive pronoun is either the direct object in the sentence, which means it is in the accusative case, or the indirect object in the sentence, which means it is in the dative case. Only the reflexive pronouns used with the ich and du forms of the verb have separate accusative and dative forms.
The present tense forms of a reflexive verb work in just the same way as an ordinary verb, except that the reflexive pronoun is used as well.
Below you will find the present tense of the common reflexive verbs sich setzen (meaning to sit down) which has its reflexive pronoun in the accusative and sich erlauben (meaning to allow oneself) which has its reflexive pronoun in the dative.
| Ich setze mich neben dich. | I’ll sit beside you. |
| Sie setzen sich aufs Sofa. | They sit down on the sofa. |
| Reflexive Forms | Meaning |
| ich erlaube mir | I allow myself |
| du erlaubst dir | you allow yourself |
| er/sie/es erlaubt sich | he/she/it allows himself/herself/itself |
| wir erlauben uns | we allow ourselves |
| ihr erlaubt euch | you (plural familiar) allow yourselves |
| sie erlauben sich | they allow themselves |
| Sie erlauben sich | you (polite form) allow yourself |
| Ich erlaube mir jetzt ein Bier. | Now I’m going to allow myself a beer. |
| Er erlaubt sich ein Stück Kuchen. | He’s allowing himself a piece of cake. |
Some of the most common German reflexive verbs are listed here:
| Reflexive Verb with Reflexive Pronoun in Accusative |
Meaning |
| sich anziehen | to get dressed |
| sich aufregen | to get excited |
| sich beeilen | to hurry |
| sich beschäftigen mit | to be occupied with |
| sich bewerben um | to apply for |
| sich erinnern an | to remember |
| sich freuen auf | to look forward to |
| sich interessieren für | to be interested in |
| sich irren | to be wrong |
| sich melden | to report (for duty etc) or to volunteer |
| sich rasieren | to shave |
| sich setzen or hinsetzen | to sit down |
| sich trauen | to dare |
| sich umsehen | to look around |
| Ich ziehe mich schnell an und | I’ll get dressed quickly and then we |
| dann gehen wir. | can go. |
| Wir müssen uns beeilen. | We must hurry. |
| Ich muss mir das Rauchen | I must give up smoking. |
| abgewöhnen. | |
| Sie kann sich ein neues Auto nicht | She can’t afford a new car. |
| leisten. | |
| Was wünscht ihr euch zu Weihnachten? | What do you want for Christmas? |
Note that a direct object reflexive pronoun changes to an indirect object pronoun if another direct object is present.
| Ich wasche mich. | I’m having a wash. |
| mich = direct object reflexive pronoun | |
| Ich wasche mir die Hände. | I am washing my hands. |
| mir = indirect object reflexive pronoun | |
| die Hände = direct object |
For more information on Pronouns, see page 69.
Some German verbs which are not usually reflexive can be made reflexive by adding a reflexive pronoun.
| Soll ich es melden? | Should I report it? |
| Ich habe mich gemeldet. | I volunteered. |
For more information on Reflexive pronouns, see page 84.
Key points
A reflexive verb is made up of a reflexive pronoun and a verb.
The direct object pronouns in the accusative are mich, dich, sich, uns, euch, sich, sich.
The indirect object pronouns in the dative are mir, dir, sich, uns, euch, sich, sich.
What is the imperative?
An imperative is a form of the verb used when giving orders and instructions, for example, Shut the door!; Sit down!; Don’t go!
In German, there are three main forms of the imperative that are used to give instructions or orders to someone. These correspond to the three different ways of saying you: du, ihr and Sie. However, it is only in the Sie form of the imperative that the pronoun usually appears – in the du and ihr forms, the pronoun is generally dropped, leaving only the verb.
| Hör zu! | Listen! |
| Hören Sie zu! | Listen! |
Forming the present tense imperative
Most weak, strong and mixed verbs form the present tense imperative in the following way:
| Pronoun | Form of Imperative |
Verb Example | Meaning |
| du (singular) | verb stem (+ e) | hol(e)! | fetch! |
| ihr (plural) | verb stem + t | holt! | fetch! |
| Sie (polite singular and plural |
verb stem + en + Sie |
holen Sie! | fetch! |
Note that the -e of the du form is often dropped, but NOT where the verb stem ends, for example, in chn-, fn-, or tm-. In such cases, the -e is kept to make the imperative easier to pronounce.
| Hör zu! | Listen! |
| Hol es! | Fetch it! |
| BUT: Öffne die Tür! | Open the door! |
| Atme richtig durch! | Take a deep breath! |
| Rechne noch mal nach! | Do your sums again! |
Weak verbs ending in -eln or -ern also retain this -e, but the other -e in the stem itself is often dropped in spoken German.
Any vowel change in the present tense of a strong verb also occurs in the du form of its imperative and the -e mentioned above is generally not added. However, if this vowel change in the present tense involves adding an umlaut, this umlaut is NOT added to the du form of the imperative.
| Verb | Meaning | 2nd Person Singular |
Meaning | 2nd Person Singular Imperative |
Meaning |
| nehmen | to take | du nimmst | you take | nimm! | take! |
| helfen | to help | du hilfst | you help | hilf! | help! |
| laufen | to run | du läufst | you run | lauf(e)! | run! |
| stoßen | to push | du stößt | you push | stoß(e)! | push! |
Word order with the imperative
An object pronoun is a word like es (meaning it), mir (meaning me) or ihnen (meaning them/to them) that is used instead of a noun as the object of a sentence. In the imperative, the object pronoun comes straight after the verb. However, you can have orders and instructions containing both direct object and indirect object pronouns. In these cases, the direct object pronoun always comes before the indirect object pronoun.
| Hol mir das Buch! | Fetch me that book! |
| Hol es mir! | Fetch me it! |
| Holt mir das Buch! | Fetch me that book! |
| Holt es mir! | Fetch me it! |
| Holen Sie mir das Buch! | Fetch me that book! |
| Holen Sie es mir! | Fetch me it! |
For more information on Word order with indirect object pronouns, see page 77.
In the imperative form of a reflexive verb such as sich waschen (meaning to wash oneself) or sich setzen (meaning to sit down), the reflexive pronoun comes immediately after the verb.
| Reflexive verb | Meaning | Imperative Forms | Meaning |
| sich setzen | to sit down | setz dich! | sit down! |
| setzt euch! | sit down! | ||
| setzen Sie sich! | do sit down! |
For more information on Reflexive pronouns, see page 84.
In verbs which have separable prefixes, the prefix comes at the end of the imperative.
| Verb with Separable Prefix |
Meaning | Imperative Example | Meaning |
| zumachen | to close | Mach die Tür zu! | Close the door! |
| aufhören | to stop | Hör aber endlich auf! | Do stop it! |
For more information on Separable prefixes, see page 109.
Other points about the imperative
In German, imperatives are usually followed by an exclamation mark, unless they are not being used to give an order or instruction. For example, they can also be used where we might say Can you… or Could you … in English.
| Lass ihn in Ruhe! | Leave him alone! |
| Sagen Sie mir bitte, wie spät es ist. | Can you tell me what time it is |
| please? |
The verb sein (meaning to be) is a strong, irregular verb. Its imperative forms are also irregular and the du, Sie and less common wir forms are not the same as the present tense forms of the verb.
| Sei ruhig! | Be quiet! |
| Seid ruhig! | Be quiet! |
| Seien Sie ruhig! | Be quiet! |
Tip
The words auch, nur, mal and doch are frequently used with imperatives to change their meanings in different ways, but are often not translated since they have no direct equivalent in English.
| Geh doch! | Go on!/Get going! |
| Sag mal, wo warst du? | Tell me, where were you? |
| Versuchen Sie es mal! | Give it a try! |
| Komm schon! | Do come/Please come. |
| Mach es auch richtig! | Be sure to do it properly. |
There are some alternatives to using the imperative in German:
| Einsteigen! | All aboard! |
| Zwiebeln abziehen und in Ringe schneiden. | Peel the onions and slice them. |
| Ruhe! | Be quiet!/Silence! |
| Vorsicht! | Careful!/Look out! |
Some of these have become set expressions
| Achtung! | Listen!/Attention! |
| Rauchen verboten! | No smoking. |
Key points
The imperative has four forms: du, ihr, Sie and wir.
The forms are the same as the ihr, Sie and wir forms of the present tense for most strong, weak and mixed verbs, but the du form drops the -st present tense ending and sometimes adds an -e on the end.
Any vowel change in the stem of a strong verb also occurs in the imperative, except if it involves adding an umlaut.
Object pronouns always go after the verb, with the direct object pronoun coming before the indirect object pronoun.
Reflexive pronouns also come after the verb, while separable verb prefixes come at the end of the imperative sentence.
Sein has irregular imperative forms.
Verb prefixes in the present tense
What is a verb prefix?
In English, a verb prefix is a word such as up or down which is used with verbs to create new verbs with an entirely different meaning.
get → get up → get down
put → put up → put down
shut → shut up → shut down
In German there is a similar system, but the words are put before the infinitive and joined to it:
zu (meaning to) + geben (meaning to give) = zugeben (meaning to admit)
an (meaning on, to, by) + ziehen (meaning to pull) = anziehen (meaning to put on or to attract)
Prefixes can be found in strong, weak and mixed verbs. Some prefixes are always joined to the verb and never separated from it – these are called inseparable prefixes. However, the majority are separated from the verb in certain tenses and forms, and come at the end of the sentence. They are called separable prefixes.
Inseparable prefixes
There are eight inseparable prefixes in German, highlighted in the table of common inseparable verbs below:
| Inseparable Verb |
Meaning | Inseparable Verb |
Meaning | Inseparable Verb |
Meaning | Inseparable Verb |
Meaning |
| beschreiben | to describe | enttäuschen | to disappoint | gehören | to belong | verlieren | to lose |
| empfangen | to receive | erhalten | to preserve | misstrauen | to mistrust | zerlegen | to dismantle |
Note that when you pronounce an inseparable verb, the stress is NEVER on the inseparable prefix:
| erhalten | |
| verlieren | |
| empfangen | |
| vergessen | |
| Das muss ich wirklich nicht vergessen. | I really mustn’t forget that. |
Separable prefixes
There are many separable prefixes in German and some of them are highlighted in the table below which shows a selection of the most common separable verbs:
| Der Zug fährt in zehn Minuten ab. | The train is leaving in ten minutes. |
| Ich stehe jeden Morgen früh auf. | I get up early every morning. |
| Sie gibt niemals nach. | She’ll never give in. |
Word order with separable prefixes
In tenses consisting of one verb part only, for example the present and the imperfect, the separable prefix is placed at the end of the main clause.
| Der Bus kam immer spät an. | The bus was always late. |
For more information on Separable prefixes in the perfect tense, see page 115.
In subordinate clauses, the prefix is attached to the verb, which is then placed at the end of the subordinate clause.
| Weil der Bus spät ankam, | Because the bus arrived late, |
| verpasste sie den Zug. | she missed the train. |
For more information on Subordinate clauses, see page 177.
In infinitive phrases using zu, the zu is inserted between the verb and its prefix to form one word.
| Um rechtzeitig aufzustehen, muss | In order to get up on time I’ll have |
| ich den Wecker stellen. | to set the alarm. |
For more information on the Infinitive, see page 134.
Below you will see some other types of word which can be combined with verbs. These combinations are mostly written as two separate words (but some may also be written as one word) and behave like separable verbs:
| Ski fahren | to ski |
| Ich fahre gern Ski. | I like skiing. |
| Schlittschuh laufen | to ice-skate |
| Im Winter kann man Schlittschuh laufen. |
You can ice-skate in winter. |
| kennenlernen (or kennen lernen) | to meet or to get to know |
| Meine Mutter möchte dich kennenlernen. |
My mother wants to meet you. |
| Er lernt sie nie richtig kennen. | He’ll never get to know her properly. |
| sitzen bleiben (or sitzenbleiben) | to remain seated |
| Bleiben Sie bitte sitzen. | Please remain seated. |
| spazieren gehen (or spazierengehen) | to go for a walk |
| Er geht jeden Tag spazieren. | He goes for a walk every day. |
| bekannt machen | to announce |
| Die Regierung will das morgen | The government plans to announce |
| bekannt machen. | it tomorrow. |
| gut riechen | to smell good |
| Das Essen riecht gut. | The food smells good. |
| abseitsstehen | to stand apart |
| Sie steht immer abseits von den anderen. |
She always stands apart from the others. |
Note that auf (meaning open) is another word for geöffnet and zu (meaning shut or closed) is another word for geschlossen.
Key points
Prefixes can be found in strong, weak and mixed verbs.
Eight prefixes are inseparable and are never separated from the verb.
Most prefixes are separable and are separated from the verb in certain tenses and forms and come at the end of the sentence.
What is the perfect tense?
The perfect is one of the verb tenses used to talk about the past, especially about a single, rather than a repeated action.
| Den Nachtisch habe ich schon gegessen. | I’ve already eaten dessert. |
The German perfect tense is the one generally used to translate an English form such as I have finished.
| I have finished the book. | Ich habe das Buch zu Ende gelesen. |
The perfect tense is also sometimes used to translate an English form such as I gave.
| I gave him my phone number. | Ich habe ihm meine Nummer gegeben. |
Tip
When a specific time in the past is referred to, you use the perfect tense in German. In English you use the -ed form instead.
| Gestern Abend habe ich einen Krimi im Fernsehen gesehen. | Last night I watched a thriller on TV. |
The perfect tense is used with seit or seitdem to describe a completed action in the past, whereas the present tense is used to describe an action which started in the past and is still continuing in the present.
| Seit dem Unfall habe ich sie nur einmal gesehen. | I’ve only seen her once since the accident. |
For more information on this use of the Present tense, see page 94.
Unlike the present and imperfect tenses, the perfect tense has TWO parts to it:
In other words, the perfect tense in German is like the form I have done in English.
| Pronoun | Ending | Present Tense | Meanings |
| ich | -e | ich habe | I have |
| du | -st | du hast | you have |
| er sie es |
-t | er hat sie hat es hat |
he/she/it has |
| wir | -en | wir haben | we have |
| ihr | -t | ihr habt | you (plural) have |
| sie Sie |
-en | sie haben Sie haben |
they have you (polite) have |
| Pronoun | Ending | Present Tense | Meanings |
| ich | – | ich bin | I am |
| du | – | du bist | you are |
| er sie es |
– | er ist sie ist es ist |
he/she/it is |
| wir | – | wir sind | we are |
| ihr | – | ihr seid | you (plural) are |
| sie Sie |
– | sie sind Sie sind |
they are you (polite) are |
To form the past participle of weak verbs, you add ge- to the beginning of the verb stem and -t to the end.
| Infinitive | Take off -en | Add ge- and -t |
| holen (to fetch) | hol- | geholt |
| machen (to do) | mach- | gemacht |
Note that one exception to this rule is weak verbs ending in -ieren, which omit the ge.
| studieren (to study) | studiert (studied) |
To form the past participle of strong verbs, you add ge- to the beginning of the verb stem and -en to the end. The vowel in the stem may also change.
| Infinitive | Take off -en | Add ge- and -en |
| laufen (to run) | lauf- | gelaufen |
| singen (to sing) | sing- | gesungen |
To form the past participle of mixed verbs, you add ge- to the beginning of the verb stem and, like weak verbs, -t to the end. As with many strong verbs, the stem vowel may also change.
| Infinitive | Take off -en | Add ge- and -t |
| bringen (to bring) | bring- | gebracht |
| denken (to think) | denk- | gedacht |
The perfect tense of separable verbs is also formed in the above way, except that the separable prefix is joined on to the front of the ge: ich habe die Flasche aufgemacht, du hast die Flasche aufgemacht and so on.
With inseparable verbs, the only difference is that past participles are formed without the ge: ich habe Kaffee bestellt, du hast Kaffee bestellt and so on.
For more information on Separable and Inseparable verbs, see page 109.
Verbs that form their perfect tense with haben
Most weak, strong and mixed verbs form their perfect tense with haben, for example machen:
| Pronoun | haben | Past Participle | Meaning |
| ich | habe | gemacht | I did, I have done |
| du | hast | gemacht | you did, you have done |
| er sie es |
hat | gemacht | he/she/it did, he/she/it has done |
| wir | haben | gemacht | we did, we have done |
| ihr | habt | gemacht | you (plural familiar) did, you have done |
| sie | haben | gemacht | they did, they have done |
| Sie | haben | gemacht | you (singular/plural formal) did, you have done |
| Sie hat ihre Hausaufgaben schon gemacht. | She has already done her homework. |
| Haben Sie gut geschlafen? | Did you sleep well? |
| Er hat fleißig gearbeitet. | He has worked hard. |
MOST verbs form their perfect tense with haben.
| Ich habe das schon gemacht. | I’ve already done that. |
| Wo haben Sie früher gearbeitet? | Where did you work before? |
With reflexive verbs the reflexive pronoun comes immediately after haben.
| Ich habe mich heute Morgen geduscht. | I had a shower this morning. |
| Sie hat sich nicht daran erinnert. | She didn’t remember. |
For more information on Reflexive verbs, see page 102.
There are two main groups of verbs which form their perfect tense with sein instead of haben, and most of them are strong verbs:
| Was ist geschehen/passiert? | What happened? |
Here are the perfect tense forms of a very common strong verb, gehen, in full:
| Pronoun | sein | Past Participle | Meanings |
| ich | bin | gegangen | I went, I have gone |
| du | bist | gegangen | you went, you have gone |
| er sie es |
ist | gegangen | he/she/it went, he/she/it has gone |
| wir | sind | gegangen | we went, we have gone |
| ihr | seid | gegangen | you (plural familiar) went, you have gone |
| sie | sind | gegangen | they went, they have gone |
| Sie | sind | gegangen | you (singular/plural formal) went, you have gone |
Note that the perfect tense of the most important strong, weak and mixed verbs is shown in the Verb Tables.
For Verb Tables, see supplement.
Key points
The perfect tense describes things that happened and were completed in the past.
The perfect tense is formed with the present tense of haben or sein and a past participle.
The past participle begins in ge- and ends in -t for weak verbs, in ge- and -en for strong verbs, often with a stem vowel change, and in ge- and -t for mixed verbs, often with a stem vowel change.
Most verbs take haben in the perfect tense. Many strong verbs, especially those referring to movement or change, take sein.
What is the imperfect tense?
The imperfect tense is one of the verb tenses used to talk about the past, especially in descriptions, and to say what used to happen, for example, It was sunny at the weekend; I used to walk to school.
The German imperfect tense is used:
| Er kam zu spät, um teilnehmen zu können. | He arrived too late to take part. |
| Ich war ganz traurig, als sie wegging. | I was very sad when she left. |
| Damals gab es ein großes Problem mit Drogen. | There was a big problem with drugs at that time. |
| Wir machten jeden Tag einen Spaziergang. | We used to go for a walk every day. |
| Samstags spielte ich Tennis. | I used to play tennis on Saturdays. |
Note that if you want to talk about an event or action that took place and was completed in the past, you normally use the perfect tense in German conversation. The imperfect tense is normally used in written German.
| Was hast du heute gemacht? | What have you done today? |
For more information on the Perfect tense, see page 113.
When using seit or seitdem to describe something that had happened or had been true at a point in the past, the imperfect is used in German, where in English a verb form with had is used.
| Sie war seit ihrer Heirat als Lehrerin beschäftigt. | She had been working as a teacher since her marriage. |
For more information on the Pluperfect tense, see page 127.
Remember that you NEVER use the verb sein to translate was or were in forms like was raining or were looking and so on. You change the German verb ending instead.
Forming the imperfect tense of weak verbs
To form the imperfect tense of weak verbs, you use the same stem of the verb as for the present tense. Then you add the correct ending, depending on whether you are referring to ich, du, er, sie, es, wir, ihr, sie or Sie.
| Pronoun | Ending | Add to Stem, e.g. spiel- | Meanings |
| ich | -te | ich spielte | I played I was playing |
| du | -test | du spieltest | you played you were playing |
| er sie es |
-te | er spielte sie spielte es spielte |
he/she/it played he/she/it played he/she/it were playing |
| wir | -ten | wir spielten | we played we were playing |
| ihr | -tet | ihr spieltet | you (plural) played you were playing |
| sie Sie |
-ten | sie spielten Sie spielten |
they played they were playing you (polite) played you were playing |
| Sie holte ihn jeden Tag von der Arbeit ab. | She picked him up from work every day. |
| Normalerweise machte ich nach dem | I usually did my homework after dinner. |
| Abendessen meine Hausaufgaben. |
As with the present tense, some weak verbs change their spellings slightly when they are used in the imperfect tense.
| Pronoun | Ending | Add to Stem, e.g. arbeit- |
Meanings |
| ich | -ete | ich arbeitete | I worked I was working |
| du | -etest | du arbeitetest | you worked you were working |
| er sie es |
-ete | er arbeitete sie arbeitete es arbeitete |
he/she/it worked he/she/it was working |
| wir | -eten | wir arbeiteten | we worked we were working |
| ihr | -etet | ihr arbeitetet | you (plural) worked you were working |
| sie Sie |
-eten -eten |
sie arbeiteten Sie arbeiteten |
they worked they were working you (polite) worked you (polite) were working |
| Sie arbeitete übers Wochenende. | She was working over the weekend. |
| Ihr arbeitetet ganz schön viel. | You worked a lot. |
| Sie lernte alles ganz schnell. | She learned everything very quickly. |
Forming the imperfect tense of strong verbs
The main difference between strong verbs and weak verbs in the imperfect is that strong verbs have a vowel change and take a different set of endings. For example, let’s compare sagen and rufen:
| Infinitive | Meaning | Present | Imperfect | |
| Weak | sagen | to say | er sagt | er sagte |
| Strong | rufen | to shout | er ruft | er rief |
To form the imperfect tense of strong verbs you add the following endings to the stem, which undergoes a vowel change.
| Pronoun | Ending | Add to Stem, e.g. rief- |
Meanings |
| ich | – | ich rief | I shouted I was shouting |
| du | -st | du riefst | you shouted you were shouting |
| er sie es |
– | er rief sie rief es rief |
he/she/it shouted he/she/it were shouting |
| wir | -en | wir riefen | we shouted we were shouting |
| ihr | -t | ihr rieft | you (plural) shouted you were shouting |
| sie Sie |
-en | sie riefen Sie riefen |
they shouted they were shouting you (polite) shouted you were shouting |
| Sie rief mich immer freitags an. | She always called me on Friday. |
| Sie liefen die Straße entlang. | They ran along the street. |
| Als Kind sangst du viel. | You used to sing a lot as a child. |
As in other tenses, the verb sein is a very irregular strong verb since the imperfect forms seem to have no relation to the infinitive form of the verb: ich war, du warst, er/sie/es war, wir waren, ihr wart, sie/Sie waren.
Forming the imperfect tense of mixed verbs
The imperfect tense of mixed verbs is formed by adding the weak verb endings to a stem whose vowel has been changed as for a strong verb.
| Pronoun | Ending | Add to Stem, e.g. kann- |
Meanings |
| ich | -te | ich kannte | I knew |
| du | -test | du kanntest | you knew |
| er sie es |
-te | er kannte sie kannte es kannte |
he/she/it knew |
| wir | -ten | wir kannten | we knew |
| ihr | -tet | ihr kanntet | you (plural) knew |
| sie Sie |
-ten | sie kannten Sie kannten |
they knew you (polite) knew |
| Er kannte die Stadt nicht. | He didn’t know the town. |
Bringen (meaning to bring) and denken (meaning to think) have a vowel AND a consonant change in their imperfect forms
| bringen (to bring) | denken (to think) |
| ich brachte | ich dachte |
| du brachtest | du dachtest |
| er/sie/es brachte | er/sie/es dachte |
| wir brachten | wir dachten |
| ihr brachtet | ihr dachtet |
| sie/Sie brachten | sie/Sie dachten |
Note that the imperfect tense of the most important strong, weak and mixed verbs is shown in the Verb Tables.
For Verb Tables, see supplement.
Key points
The imperfect tense is generally used for things that happened regularly or for descriptions in the past, especially in written German.
The imperfect of weak verbs is formed using the same stem of the verb as for the present tense + these endings: -te, -test, -te, -ten, -tet, -ten.
If the stem of a weak verb ends in -d, -t, -m or -n an extra -e is added before the usual imperfect endings to make pronunciation easier. If the -m or -n has one of the consonants l, r or h in front of it, the -e is not added.
The imperfect tense of strong verbs is formed by adding the following endings to the stem, which undergoes a vowel change: -, -st, -, -en, -t, -en.
The imperfect tense of mixed verbs is formed by adding the weak verb endings to a stem whose vowel has been changed as for a strong verb. The verbs bringen and denken also have a consonant change.
What is the future tense?
The future tense is a verb tense used to talk about something that will happen or will be true.
Using the future tense
In English the future tense is often shown by will or its shortened form ’ll.
What will you do?
The weather will be warm and dry tomorrow.
He’ll be here soon.
I’ll give you a call.
Just as in English, you can use the present tense in German to refer to something that is going to happen in the future.
| Wir fahren nächstes Jahr nach Griechenland. | We’re going to Greece next year. |
| Ich nehme den letzten Zug heute Abend. | I’m taking the last train tonight. |
