Verben (Verbs: The Basics)
In the dictionary, a German verb appears in the infinitive. Most infinitives end in -en (lernen, kommen); a few end in -n (wandern, lächeln, tun). Without this ending you get the stem, and the personal endings are added to the stem.
| Infinitive | Stem | Ending | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| lernen | lern- | -en | learn |
| hören | hör- | -en | hear |
| studieren | studier- | -en | study (at university) |
| wandern | wander- | -n | hike, go walking |
| sammeln | sammel- | -n | collect |
In the present tense the ending changes with the subject: ich lerne, du lernst, er lernt, wir lernen, ihr lernt, sie lernen. Spelling rules and stem-changing verbs are on the page about the Präsens. German has one present form for both English I learn and I am learning: ich lerne.
Wir lernen Deutsch.We're learning German.
Ich fliege nach Deutschland.I'm flying to Germany.
Was machen Sie beruflich?What do you do for a living?
Er trinkt im Café einen Kaffee.He's having a coffee at the café.
Verbs ending in -eln and -ern
Verbs in -eln usually drop the e of the stem in the ich form: ich sammle, ich lächle. Verbs in -eln and -ern add only -n in the wir and sie/Sie forms: wir sammeln, sie wandern.
| Person | sammeln | wandern |
|---|---|---|
| ich | sammle | wandere |
| du | sammelst | wanderst |
| er, sie, es | sammelt | wandert |
| wir | sammeln | wandern |
| ihr | sammelt | wandert |
| sie, Sie | sammeln | wandern |
Regular, irregular and mixed verbs
Like English verbs (play – played, drive – drove – driven), German verbs fall into groups. The difference shows in the past forms: the Präteritum (simple past) and the past participle used in the Perfekt.
| Group | Infinitive | Präteritum | Past participle | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| regular | machen | machte | gemacht | make, do |
| regular | spielen | spielte | gespielt | play |
| irregular | fahren | fuhr | gefahren | drive, go |
| irregular | trinken | trank | getrunken | drink |
| mixed | bringen | brachte | gebracht | bring |
| mixed | denken | dachte | gedacht | think |
Regular verbs (also called weak verbs) keep their stem: Präteritum with -te, participle with ge- … -t. Irregular verbs (strong verbs) change their stem vowel, and their participle usually ends in -en. Mixed verbs change the vowel but take the regular endings.
Irregular verbs have to be learned with their three forms, just like drive – drove – driven in English. Many verbs that are irregular in English are irregular in German too: singen – sang – gesungen (sing – sang – sung). Many irregular verbs also change their vowel in the du and er/sie/es forms of the present: fahren – du fährst, lesen – er liest.
sein and haben
The two most important verbs are irregular. sein (to be) and haben (to have) are used on their own and as auxiliary verbs in the Perfekt.
| Person | sein | haben |
|---|---|---|
| ich | bin | habe |
| du | bist | hast |
| er, sie, es | ist | hat |
| wir | sind | haben |
| ihr | seid | habt |
| sie, Sie | sind | haben |
Er ist Lehrer.He's a teacher.
Ich bin 18 Jahre alt.I'm 18 years old.
Mein Vater hat zwei Autos.My father has two cars.
Haben Sie einen Führerschein?Do you have a driving licence?
Common mistake
Du bist richtig. (meant as "You're right") is wrong; correct: Du hast recht.
Some expressions use haben in German where English uses be: recht haben (be right), Hunger haben (be hungry), Durst haben (be thirsty), Angst haben (be afraid).
Types of verbs
- Main verbs carry the meaning of the sentence: lernen, essen, fahren.
- The auxiliary verbs sein, haben and werden help to form tenses: Ich habe gegessen.
- Modal verbs such as können and müssen are combined with an infinitive.
- Separable verbs such as anrufen split into two parts: Ich rufe dich an.
- Reflexive verbs such as sich freuen need a reflexive pronoun.
Verbs also have an imperative form for instructions and requests: Komm!
gern: saying what you like doing
English I like swimming is usually expressed with the verb and gern: Ich schwimme gern. With nicht gern you say what you do not like doing.
Ich schwimme gern.I like swimming.
Wir spielen gern Fußball.We like playing football.
Er kocht nicht gern.He doesn't like cooking.
Common mistake
Ich mag schwimmen. is wrong; correct: Ich schwimme gern.
mögen is mainly used with nouns: Ich mag Pizza, or Ich mag Schwimmen with the noun das Schwimmen. With a verb, German normally uses the verb + gern.
Check yourself
Written by: Fatih Ün, German teacher · Last updated: