A1 · Grammar · Präsens
German Present Tense: Endings, Stem Changes and When to Use It
The ruleGerman has one present tense, and it covers everything English splits between I work, I am working and I do work, and, with a time word, I am working tomorrow as well.
The five endings
Take the infinitive, drop the -en, add the ending. Almost every German verb does this, including most of the ones textbooks call irregular: they are irregular somewhere else, not here.
| Person | Form | Ending |
|---|---|---|
| ich | mache | -e |
| du | machst | -st |
| er / sie / es | macht | -t |
| wir | machen | -en |
| ihr | macht | -t |
| sie / Sie | machen | -en |
Two spelling adjustments follow from what the stem ends in. A stem ending in -t, -d or a consonant + -n needs a linking e or the ending is unpronounceable: du arbeitest, er findet, ihr öffnet. A stem already ending in an s-sound (-s, -ß, -z, -x) cannot take another one, so the du form loses it: du heißt, du tanzt, not du heißst.
The three verbs that do not play along
These three carry the whole language: as full verbs, as the auxiliaries of the perfect and the future, and as the passive. There is no way round learning them cold.
| — | sein (to be) | haben (to have) | werden (to become) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ich | bin | habe | werde |
| du | bist | hast | wirst |
| er / sie / es | ist | hat | wird |
| wir | sind | haben | werden |
| ihr | seid | habt | werdet |
| sie / Sie | sind | haben | werden |
Strong verbs change their vowel, but only for du and er
A large group of common verbs shifts its stem vowel in the second and third person singular. Every other form is regular, which is why this catches people out: the verb looks fine until you talk about someone else.
| Change | Infinitive | du | er / sie / es |
|---|---|---|---|
| e → i | sprechen | sprichst | spricht |
| e → ie | sehen | siehst | sieht |
| e → i | nehmen | nimmst | nimmt |
| a → ä | fahren | fährst | fährt |
| a → ä | schlafen | schläfst | schläft |
| au → äu | laufen | läufst | läuft |
There is no rule that predicts which verbs do this. It is a closed list of a few dozen, and the vocabulary entry for each verb on this site shows its forms.
Where it goes wrong
Er sprecht Deutsch.
Er spricht Deutsch.
sprechen is an e → i verb, so the third person changes vowel as well as ending. The wir and ihr forms would have been fine untouched: wir sprechen, ihr sprecht.
Where German uses the present and English does not
- Ich fahre morgen nach Berlin. I am going to Berlin tomorrow. A future with a time word. German rarely bothers with werden for this.
- Ich wohne seit drei Jahren hier. I have been living here for three years. seit plus the present, where English needs a perfect. The action is still going on, so German keeps it in the present.
- Was machst du gerade? What are you doing right now? There is no continuous form to reach for: gerade does that job.
Test yourself
4 questions on this
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1 Verbform (Präteritum, 3. Person Plural) Sprachbausteine
weil oft alle in der Familie so
Show answer
Correct answer: hießen
Das Verb 'hießen' ist die korrekte Präteritumform für 'alle'.
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2 Verbform in der 3. Person Singular Sprachbausteine
Wer zuletzt auf der Insel ist, das Spiel gewonnen.
Show answer
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3 Verbkonjugation (3. Person Singular) Sprachbausteine
Weil der Mond sich immer weiter über den Himmel .
Show answer
Correct answer: bewegt
Das Subjekt 'der Mond' ist 3. Person Singular, daher 'bewegt'.
Read the full text: Sonnenfinsternis
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4 Verbform im indirekten Fragesatz (3. Person Singular) Sprachbausteine
Man muss dann diese Artikel nachschlagen, damit man überhaupt versteht, was ein Parlament .
Show answer
Correct answer: ist
Der Nebensatz 'was ein Parlament ist' verlangt die 3. Person Singular von 'sein'.
Read the full text: Lexikon
Common questions
Does German have a present continuous like 'I am working'?
No. German has one present tense and it covers both. If you need to stress that something is happening right now, you add a word (gerade, jetzt, momentan) rather than changing the verb. 'Ich arbeite gerade' is 'I am working right now'.
Which German verbs change their vowel in the present?
A closed group of strong verbs, in the du and er/sie/es forms only. The commonest patterns are e→i (sprechen, geben, helfen, essen), e→ie (sehen, lesen, empfehlen), a→ä (fahren, schlafen, tragen, fallen) and au→äu (laufen). The wir, ihr and sie forms never change.
Can I use the present tense to talk about the future in German?
Yes, and it is the normal way to do it. With any time reference (morgen, nächste Woche, in zwei Jahren) the present is preferred to werden. 'Ich rufe dich morgen an' is the everyday German for 'I'll call you tomorrow'.
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