Auxiliary verbs in German
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HideWhat are auxiliary verbs in German?
In German the auxiliary verbs are:
- sein - to be
- werden - to become
- haben - to have
All three auxiliary verbs are irregular! To see their conjugation, have a look at the following chapters about conjugation of haben, werden and sein.
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Daniele D. 
Alexandra M. 
Daria Z. 
Sara G.
Martina P. 
Sofia G.
Karolin G. 
Daniela M.
Carina B.
Sabrina B. 
Daniele D.
Alexandra M.
Daria Z.
Sara G.
Martina P.
Sofia G.
Karolin G.
Daniela M.
Usage of German auxiliary verbs
Tenses
Auxiliary verbs are used to build the folowing tenses:
- Perfekt
- Plusquamperfekt
- Futur I
- Futur II
Examples
| Tense | Construction (in general) | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perfekt (Indikativ) | Indikativ Präsens of haben (or sein) + Partizip Perfekt of the full verb | Du hast einen Kuchen gebacken. | You have baked a cake. |
| Plusquamperfekt (Indikativ) | Indikativ Präteritum of haben (or sein) + Partizip Perfekt of the full verb | Du hattest einen Kuchen gebacken. | You had baked a cake. |
| Futur I (Indikativ) | Indikativ Präsens of werden + Infinitiv Präsens of the full verb | Du wirst einen Kuchen backen. | You will bake a cake. |
| Futur II (Indikativ) | Indikativ Präsens of werden + Infinitiv Perfekt of the full verb | Du wirst einen Kuchen gebacken haben¹. | You will have baked a cake. |
| Perfekt (Konjunktiv I) | Konjunktiv I Präsens of haben (or sein) + Partizip Perfekt of the full verb | Du habest einen Kuchen gebacken. | You would have backed a cake. |
| Futur I (Konjuktiv I) | Konjunktiv I Präsens of werden + Infinitiv präsens of the full verb | Du werdest einen Kuchen backen. | You would have baked a cake. |
| Futur II (Konjunktiv I) | Konjunktiv I Präsens of werden + Infinitiv Perfekt of the full verb | Du werdest einen Kuchen gebacken haben. | You would have baked a cake. |
¹ We also need the auxiliary verbs haben and sein to build the Invinitiv Perfekt.
- Er wird eine Aussage gemacht haben. - He will have made a statement.
- Sie wird alt geworden sein. - She will have grown old.
Passive form
We use the auxiliary verb werden also to build the passive form in German.
Examples
- Ich werde beobachtet. - I am being observed
- Du wurdest gesehen. - You have been seen.
Exercises
Exercise: Add the correct German auxiliary verb!
Complete the following grammatical forms with the correct auxiliary verb!
1.) du morgen feiern gehen? (Future I)
(Will you go party tomorrow)
2.) Heute ich viel gelernt. (Present perfect)
(Today I have learned a lot)
3.) Ich das morgen geschafft (Future II)
(I will have finished this tomorrow)
4.) Wir alle von einem Freund eingeladen. (Processual passive)
(We were all invitied by a friend)
5.) Warum ihr noch nicht losgefahren? (Past perfect)
(We hadn't you driven off yet?)
6.) Das vermutlich die richtige Antwort . (Future II)
(This will probably have been the correct answer)
7.) du das Buch schon gelesen? (present perfect)
(Have you already read the book?)
8.) Wir geschwommen. (Present perfect)
(We have beeen swimming)
9.) Ihr begeistert sein. (Future I)
(You will be excited)
10.) das morgen beendet ? (Future II)
(Will this be finished tomorrow?)
11.) Wir aufgewacht. (Past perfect)
(We had been woken up)
Exercise: German auxiliary verbs
Exercises
Exercise: Add the correct German auxiliary verb!
Complete the following grammatical forms with the correct auxiliary verb!
1.) du morgen feiern gehen? (Future I)
(Will you go party tomorrow)
2.) Heute ich viel gelernt. (Present perfect)
(Today I have learned a lot)
3.) Ich das morgen geschafft (Future II)
(I will have finished this tomorrow)
4.) Wir alle von einem Freund eingeladen. (Processual passive)
(We were all invitied by a friend)
5.) Warum ihr noch nicht losgefahren? (Past perfect)
(We hadn't you driven off yet?)
6.) Das vermutlich die richtige Antwort . (Future II)
(This will probably have been the correct answer)
7.) du das Buch schon gelesen? (present perfect)
(Have you already read the book?)
8.) Wir geschwommen. (Present perfect)
(We have beeen swimming)
9.) Ihr begeistert sein. (Future I)
(You will be excited)
10.) das morgen beendet ? (Future II)
(Will this be finished tomorrow?)
11.) Wir aufgewacht. (Past perfect)
(We had been woken up)