Present tense (Präsens) in German
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Lesson outline
Hide- 1.Definition and usage of the present tense
- 2.Marker words that indicate the present tense in German
- 3.Conjugation of the present tense with examples
- 3.1.Conjugation of regular verbs
- 3.2.Conjugation of irregular verbs
- 3.2.1.Conjugation of verbs with stems that ends in a sibilant (s, ss, ß, z)
- 3.2.2.Word stem ends in - m, -t, d, n
- 3.2.3.Conjugation of verbs with the infinitive ending with -n
- 3.2.4.Stem-changing words
- 3.2.5.Modal verbs
- 4.Exercises
- 4.1.Exercise of regular conjugation
- 4.2.Exercise of stems that ends in a sibilant (s, ss, ß, z)
- 4.3.Exercise of word stem ends in - m, -t, d, n
- 4.4.Exercise of the verbs with the infinitive ending with -n
Definition and usage of the present tense
The present tense is used in many situations. By using it the speaker declares or describes a situation in the present. The table shows you situations in which the present tense is used.
| Usage | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| If a fact is described | Die Kinder feiern Geburtstag. | The kids celebrate a birthday. |
| If an action takes place, never takes place or is repeated constantly | Er lernt jeden Montag Trompete. | He practices the trumpet every monday. |
| If you want to describe for how long an action has been repeated | Er lernt seit 4 Jahren Trompete. | He practices trumpet since 4 years. |
| If future actions have been already planned | Er gibt in zwei Wochen ein Konzert. | He has a concert in two weeks. |
| If two things happen at the same time | Er sagt, dass er müde ist. | He says that he is tired. |
| If something historical should be emphasized | Der Mann lag am Strand. Plötzlich hört er ein Geräusch. | The man lay on the beach. Suddenly he hears a noise. |
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Marker words that indicate the present tense in German
If you see some certain words in a sentence, you can be sure that the present tense is the right tense to use. Find some examples of marker words in the table below.
| Marker word | Translation |
|---|---|
| oft | often |
| immer | always |
| jeden Tag/jedes Jahr | every day/year |
| jetzt | now |
| normalerweise | usually |
| manchmal | sometimes |
| seit | since |
| in zwei Wochen/in drei Jahren | in two weeks/three years |
Here are some example sentences:
- Normalerweise gehe ich jeden Montag schwimmen. (Usually, I go swimming every monday.)
- Manchmal hat er Albträume. (Sometimes, he has nightmares.)
- Er wohnt hier seit vier Monaten. (He loves here since four months now.)
Conjugation of the present tense with examples
Conjugation of regular verbs
A verb has to be declined according to the subject it refers to. The declension of regular verbs ending on -en are marked in the table below. Look at the example of the verb kommen. The word stem is komm- .
| Subject | verb |
|---|---|
| ich | komme |
| du | kommst |
| er/ sie/ es | kommt |
| wir | kommen |
| ihr | kommt |
| sie/ Sie | kommen |
For example:
- Sie kommen aus dem Kino. (They come out of the cinema.)
- Wir kommen vom Strand. (We come from the beach.)
- Er kommt aus der Türkei. (He is from turkey.)
Conjugation of irregular verbs
Some German verbs are conjugated irregularly. See the most common used verbs in the table below:
| Subject | sein (to be) | werden (to become) | haben (to have) | wissen (to know) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ich | bin | werde | habe | weiß |
| du | bist | wirst | hast | weißt |
| er / sie / es | ist | wird | hat | weiß |
| wir | sind | werden | haben | wissen |
| ihr | seid | werdet | habt | wisst |
| sie / Sie | sind | werden | haben | wissen |
Other examples of irregular cojugated verbs are:
Conjugation of verbs with stems that ends in a sibilant (s, ss, ß, z)
Word stem ends in - m, -t, d, n
Conjugation of verbs with the infinitive ending with -n
Stem-changing words
Modal verbs
See the explanation and some examples to every exception in the small chapters below.
For the declension of this irregular verbs, there is no logical rule. You just have to learn them by heart.
Conjugation of verbs with stems that ends in a sibilant (s, ss, ß, z)
If the word stem of a verb ends on s, ss, ß or z, the second person singular (du / you) only adds an -t and not -st, like in the example before. The table shows you the construction with the example of the verb heißen. The word stem is heiß-. The other forms are built regularly.
| Subject | verb |
|---|---|
| ich | heiße |
| du | heißt |
| er/ sie/ es | heißt |
| wir | heißen |
| ihr | heißt |
| sie/ Sie | heißen |
For example:
- Ich heiße Bernd! (My name is Bernd!)
- Heißt du Tobi? (Is your name Tobi?)
- Wir heißen Schmidt mit Nachnamen. (Our last name is Schmidt.)
This rule exist, because otherwise, the words would be very difficult to pronounce. 'Heißt' is much more easier to pronounce than 'heißst'.
Word stem ends in - m, -t, d, n
Verbs with word stems ending on these letters are for example: atmen, rechnen, arbeiten. See in the table how you insert the "e" in the correct way.
| Subject | verb |
|---|---|
| ich | arbeite |
| du | arbeitest |
| er/ sie/ es | arbeitet |
| wir | arbeiten |
| ihr | arbeitet |
| sie/ Sie | arbeiten |
For example:
- Du arbeitest im Schwimmbad. (You work at the pool.)
- Ich arbeite als Koch. (I work as a cook.)
- Wir arbeiten freiwillig. (We work voluntarily.)
The -e endings are inserted as a 'bumper'. Otherwise the words would sound uncomely, like for instance 'du arbeitst', or 'er arbeitt'.
Conjugation of verbs with the infinitive ending with -n
Some verbs only end with -n rather than on -en in their infinitive. For example: klingeln, bügeln, lächeln. They are conjugated in a different way.
| Subject | verbs |
|---|---|
| ich | sammle |
| du | sammelst |
| er/ sie/ es | sammelt |
| wir | sammeln |
| ihr | sammelt |
| sie/ Sie | sammeln |
For example:
- Ich sammle Postkarten. (I collect post cards.)
- Du sammelst Briefmarken. (You collect stamps.)
- Sie sammeln Magazine. (She collects magazines.)
Stem-changing words
Some strong verbs exist of a, au or e. In total, there are four types of stem changes: a to ä, au to äu, e to i, e to ie. See some examples in the table below.
| Infinitive | fahren | laufen | sprechen | sehen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infititive stem | fahr- | lauf- | sprech- | seh- |
| Stem change | a -> ä | au -> äu | e -> i | e -> ie |
| ich | fahre | laufe | spreche | sehe |
| du | fährst | läufst | sprichst | siehst |
| er / sie / es | fährt | läuft | spricht | sieht |
| wir | fahren | laufen | sprechen | sehen |
| ihr | fahrt | lauft | sprecht | seht |
| sie / Sie | fahren | laufen | sprechen | sehen |
As you can see, those vowel changes only happen in the 2nd and 3rd person singular. Besides the vowel change, the endings of the words are regularly.
Modal verbs
Modal verbs are used to express the personal attitude about a happening. There are six modal verbs that also have vowel changes in their present declension.
| Infinitive | dürfen | können | müssen | sollen | wollen | mögen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infinitive stem | dürf- | könn- | müss- | soll- | woll- | mög- |
| Stem change | ü -> a | ö -> a | ü -> u | o -> i | ö -> a | |
| ich | darf | kann | muss | soll | will | mag |
| du | darfst | kannst | musst | sollst | willst | magst |
| er / sie / es | darf | kann | muss | soll | will | mag |
| wir | dürfen | können | müssen | sollen | wollen | mögen |
| ihr | dürft | könnt | müsst | sollt | wollt | mögt |
| sie / Sie | dürfen | können | müssen | sollen | wollen | mögen |
With the modal verbs, only the persons in singular (ich, du, er, sie, es, Sie) change their word stem.
Now, that you have learned about the present tense, try to deepen your knowledge with our exercises.
Exercises
- Exercise of regular conjugation
- Exercise of stems that ends in a sibilant (s, ss, ß, z)
- Exercise of word stem ends in - m, -t, d, n
- Exercise of the verbs with the infinitive ending with -n
Exercise of regular conjugation
Exercise of stems that ends in a sibilant (s, ss, ß, z)
Exercise of word stem ends in - m, -t, d, n
Exercise of the verbs with the infinitive ending with -n
Exercises
- Exercise of regular conjugation
- Exercise of stems that ends in a sibilant (s, ss, ß, z)
- Exercise of word stem ends in - m, -t, d, n
- Exercise of the verbs with the infinitive ending with -n
Exercise of regular conjugation
Exercise of stems that ends in a sibilant (s, ss, ß, z)
Exercise of word stem ends in - m, -t, d, n
Exercise of the verbs with the infinitive ending with -n
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Thank you so much for your valuable feedback, Simone! I am glad that you like our lessons and I can see you advance so quickly, it's amazing! I am only helping you with your German, the biggest, hardest part is your own merrit! I am really delighted to see you progress so immensely! Very, very happy with you and your studies!
Since I learn languages myself, I know the difficulties and hurdles that can arise when learning a foreign language. I take away your fear of using the German language, because the best way to learn a language is to speak it!
You want to take a telc or Goethe exam? I will help you! I teach from level B1 to C2. In the course of my teaching I have specialised in students and adult learners from the age of 19 who want to take one of these exams for professional or private reasons.
If you only want to prepare orally for an exam with me, I offer conversation lessons where I give you strategies and tips on how to pass the exam. You will do a lot of speaking and learn the phrases that are most important for the exam at your level.
I'll also show you how to integrate German into your everyday life, recommend podcasts, books and series to expand your vocabulary.
Are you looking for a job and need help with your application? No problem, I give you application training, revise your CV with you and write applications together with you. I will also prepare you for your job interviews.
Don't be shy and write to me before you book a trial lesson. Together we will work out a syllabus that is tailored to your needs and goals. We will learn what is important for you at this stage and where I see room for improvement. I adapt each lesson individually to you.
Due to my eight-year stay abroad in Ireland, I have a very good knowledge of English and can also explain something to you in English or Spanish, but in my lessons we almost only speak German together.
What can you expect in my lessons?
- Creative and professional preparation for telc or Goethe from B1 level upwards
- Conversation classes
- Language lessons individually adapted to your needs, each lesson is prepared for you individually
- Application training and help with application letters, revision of your CV
- Grammar explanations that YOU just need.
- Quizzes, puzzles, worksheets, books, conversation topics and much more. Learning should be fun!
The most important thing is that you invest a little time and feel like learning with me. In return, you should also do the homework so that we can make good progress. I will be happy to correct it. Let me inspire you!
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Hello, my name is Katerina und I’m a qualified German teacher with 8 years teaching experience.
I would like to help you to master the German language. You will get your personal online lesson via Skype.
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I am a native German speaker and am teaching English and German as foreign languages. I have got a teaching degree and have been teaching English and German for more than two years to all levels and age groups.
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Highly-experienced TEFL certified business English teacher and interview coach specializing in one-to-one tailored classes to your level. With over 7 years of English teaching and coaching experience in leading companies in Spain such as PWC, Deloitte, Telefonica, Vodafone, Ogilvy & Mather as well as the Spanish Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Development.
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