TOPIC · Tenses (Zeitformen)

How to conjugate verbs in the present tense (Präsens)

A1

After this lesson, you will be able to correctly conjugate verbs in the present tense (Präsens) and pay attention to special rules.

In this lesson, we will learn how to conjugate verbs in the present tense (Präsens) in German. Conjugation is the process of combining the verb stem with an ending that changes depending on the subject pronoun. There are a total of eight personal pronouns in German: ich, du, er, sie, es, wir, ihr, sie, and Sie.

The Verb Stem and Endings

A verb consists of two parts: the verb stem and the corresponding ending. To conjugate a verb in the present tense, the verb stem remains the same while the ending varies with the personal pronoun.

Example

Let’s take the verb "spielen" (to play):

  • Verb stem: spiel
  • Endings:
    • ich spiele
    • du spielst
    • er/sie/es spielt
    • wir spielen
    • ihr spielt
    • Sie/sie spielen
Personal PronounEndingsExample (spielen)Translation
ichverb stem + espieleI play
duverb stem + stspielstyou play (singular)
er/sie/esverb stem + tspielthe/she/it plays
wirverb stem + enspielenwe play
ihrverb stem + tspieltyou play (plural)
Sie/sieverb stem + enspielenyou play (formal)

Special Verb Groups

Some verbs have special rules for conjugation:

  1. Verbs ending in -s, -ß, -z: For these, the ending for the second person singular (du) only adds -t.

    • Example: heißen → du heißt (to be called)

  2. Verbs ending in -t, -d, or -chn: For these, an -e must be added before the ending for