Key points about the present tense in German
The future tense in French can be expressed using the A verb that describes an action that is happening now or that happens regularly, eg I eat breakfast every day. together with Time adverbs tell us when an action happens, as well as how long for and how often. .
Time adverbs in English include ‘tomorrow’, ‘next week’ and ‘soon’.
The 'near future' in French is formed using the present tense of the verb aller (to go), followed by an The basic form of the verb. In French, all infinitives end in '-er', '-ir' or '-re'..
Video - Using the present tense
The present tense : How to talk about what you do in German
When you’re talking about something you do or are doing right now, you need the present tense.
Let’s imagine you’re playing something. ‘To play’ is spielen.
Ich spiele - I play
Du spielst - you play
Er spielt - he plays
The ending of the verb changes depending on who is doing the playing.
For spielen - ‘to play’ - and lots of regular verbs you take off the**-en**.
And for ich you add -e, for du you add -st and for er, sie, es you add -t.
Let’s try some other useful verbs like machen - ‘to do’ or ‘to make’.
Ich mache einen Tee- I make tea
Du machst Videos - You make videos.
Er macht Sport - He does sport.
Let’s try gehen -‘ to go’.
Ich gehe in die Schule - I go to school.
Du gehst ins Bett - You go to bed.
Er geht ins Kino - He goes to the cinema.
Some verbs don’t follow this pattern.
Essen - ‘ to eat’ - is irregular because you don’t just take the -en off.
Ich esse Fleisch.
Du isst Bananen.
Sie isst einen Apfel.
So in the present tense ich ends in -e, du ends in -st and er, sie, es end in -t.
And watch out for those irregular verbs!
Irregular verb changes in the present tense
Strong or irregular verbs don’t follow the same pattern as weak or regular verbs:
Some verbs use the same present tense endings as weak or regular verbs, but behave differently in other tenses - these are still considered strong or irregular verbs.
Other strong or irregular verbs change their in the du, er, sie, es, and man forms of the second and When the subject is he, she, it, or one, and the verb takes the corresponding ending to match that subject. In most cases it’s only the stem that changes - the endings stay the same - but sometimes the change is more noticeable.
Add 'i'
Some verbs change the vowel sound in the stem by adding an i in the second person singular (du) and third person singular (er, sie, es, man).
Examples include Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (to read) and Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (to see).
- Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - I read
In the second and third person singular the stem changes:
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - you read
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - he reads
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - she reads
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - it reads
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - one reads
All other forms keep the regular stem.
Mini quiz
What is the correct form of sehen in this sentence?
Er _____________ fern.
He watches TV.
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What is the correct form of lesen in this sentence?
Du ______ ein Buch.
You read a book.
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Add an umlaut
Some verbs change the vowel sound by adding an (two small dots above the vowel – ä, ö, ü) in the second and third person singular, eg Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (to travel), Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (to wear or carry), and Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (to wash).
- Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - I travel
In the second and third person singular:
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - you travel
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - he travels
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - she travels
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - it travels
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - one travels
All other forms keep the regular stem.
Mini quiz
What is the correct form of fahren in this sentence?
Max _______ nach Deutschland.
Max travels to Germany.
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What is the correct form of tragen in this sentence?
Du _________ eine Schuluniform.
You wear a school uniform.
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Swap 'e' for 'i'
Some verbs change the vowel sound by swapping e for i in the stem for the second and third person singular, eg Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (to eat) and Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (to forget).
- Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - I forget
In the second and third person singular:
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - you forget
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - he forgets
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - she forgets
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - it forgets
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - one forgets
All other forms keep the regular stem.
Mini quiz
What is the correct form of Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. in this sentence?
Heidi _________ immer ihre Hausaufgaben.
Heidi always forgets her homework.
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What is the correct form of Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. in this sentence?
Er _________ viel Obst und Gemüse.
He eats lots of fruit and vegetables.
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Spelling changes in the present tense
There are some German present tense verbs that have a small stem change.
If the stem ends in -d, -t, -m or -n, an extra -e is added before -st and -t in the second person singular, third person singular and second person plural.
Some other verbs that follow this pattern are Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (to work) and Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (to draw).
| Subject | Full form | English |
|---|---|---|
| ich | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | I wait |
| du | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | you wait |
| er/sie/es/man | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | he/she/it/one waits |
| ihr | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | you (plural) wait |
If the stem ends in -s, -ß, -x or -z, only -t is added in the second person singular (du).
| Subject | Full form | English |
|---|---|---|
| ich | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | I dance |
| du | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | you dance |
| er/sie/es/man | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | he/she/it/one dances |
Some other verbs which follow this pattern are Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (to eat) and Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (to be called).
If the stem ends in -el, the -e in the stem is dropped in the first person singular.
| Subject | Full form | English |
|---|---|---|
| ich | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | I collect |
| du | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | you collect |
| er/sie/es/man | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | he/she/it/one collects |
Some other verbs which follow this pattern are Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (to act/deal/trade) and Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (to smile).
Quiz
Practise what you've learned about using irregular verbs in the present tense with this quiz.
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