How to Conjugate German Verbs in Present Tense

In any introductory or high school German class, one of the first grammar lessons you’ll learn is how to conjugate verbs in present tense.

Instructions

1. Learn the German pronouns. The first person pronouns are ich (I) and wir (we). The second person pronouns are du (you familiar singular) and ihr (you familiar plural). The third person pronouns are er (he), sie (she), es (it), and sie (they). The polite form of you (Sie) follows the same grammatical rules as sie (they).

2. Figure out the stem and the infinitive of the German verb. The infinitive is the un-conjugated present tense form of the verb. The stem is the first part of the verb. The stem precedes the infinitive –en ending. For example, wohnen is the infinitive form of the verb to live, to reside. Here the infinitive ending is –en and the stem is wohn. For the verb fragen or to ask, the infinitive ending is –en. The stem is frag.

3. Memorize the personal pronoun endings. First person (ich) is stem plus -e and (wir) is stem plus -en. Second person (du) is stem plus -st and (ihr) is stem plus -t. Third person (er/sie/es) is stem plus -t and (sie-they) is stem plus -en. Sie (you polite) is stem plus -en

4. To conjugate a German verb in present tense, take the personal pronoun ending and add it to the stem. Let’s take the verb wohnen as a example. Wohnen is the infinitive. Wohn is the stem. First person is ich wohne and wir wohnen. Second person is du wohnst and ihr wohnt. Third person is er/sie/es wohnt and sie wohnen. You polite is Sie wohnen.

5. If the stem ends in –d or –t, you would insert an –e between the stem and the –st and –t endings. For example, take the verb finden, or to find. Finden is the infinitive. Find- is the stem. First person is ich finde and wir finden. Second person is du findest and ihr findet. Third person is er/sie/es findet and sie finden. You polite is Sie finden.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember that the gerund doesn’t exist in German. Instead, you would just use regular present tense. For example, ich antworte die frage could mean "I answer the question,” “I am answering the question,” or “I do answer the question.”

• Remember that the rules for conjugating German present tense verbs apply only to regular verbs. With irregular verbs, the stems and endings may change completely. Irregular verbs are another topic altogether.

• Remember that lower-cased sie means either "she" or "they." Capital "Sie" is the polite form of "you."