AÜM: Verb Conjugation in the Present Tense
Verb Conjugation in the Present Tense
Now that you know the subject pronouns in German you are ready to learn how to conjugate verbs in German.
We "conjugate" a verb by adding specific endings to the verb, based on the subject of the sentence. We do this in English as well.
Why do you say "I like to play Tennis" instead of "I likes to play Tennis"?
Native speakers of a language generally do not think about why they say things a certain way, but when you say "I play" or "He plays" you are simply conjugating the verb "to play."
You are adding or not adding specific endings to the stem of the verb so what you say sounds correct. While English verbs have only two possible endings in the present tense, German has four possible endings, depending on the subject.
Study the following information. Make sure to scroll down to the very bottom of the page.
Conjugating Verbs in the Present Tense - Presentation
View the presentation for conjugating verbs in the present tense below.
Conjugation Example
Here is the conjugation of the verb "to play" in the present tense in English and German:
|
spielen - to play |
|||
|
Personal Pronouns - English |
Verb: to play |
Personal Pronouns -German |
Verb: spielen |
|
I |
play |
ich |
spiele |
|
you |
play |
du (informal) |
spielst |
|
he, she, it |
plays |
er, sie, es |
spielt |
|
we |
play |
wir |
spielen |
|
you |
play |
ihr (informal) |
spielt |
|
they |
play |
sie Sie ("you" formal singular and plural) |
spielen |
Notes:
- Just as you use "play+s" when you say "he, she, it" you will have to say "spiel+t" in German when you say er, sie, es. Basically, German and English follow the same pattern.
- The difference is that in German there are more endings to be added and therefore to be memorized.
- The good news is once you memorize these endings you will be able to conjugate all German regular verbs in the present tense. Regular verbs have no change in the stem and follow a predictable pattern of stem+endings.
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