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New to German? Primary phrases and phrases, like Hallo! (Howdy!) and Wie geht’s (how are you?) are an amazing place to start out—they’ll get you round city and set the tone for nice interactions. However language is all about expressing your self freely, and scripted phrases don’t give the wiggle room many learners are on the lookout for.
That’s why German verbs—whereas daunting at first—are such a major milestone for newbie learners.
Be taught the verb lieben and you may share your love for all issues cinema: Ich liebe Filme (I like motion pictures). Or perhaps your concept of the right day is spent curled round a very good e-book? Nicht jetzt! Ich lese (Not now! I’m studying).
Beneath, you’ll discover a checklist of the 20 most typical verbs that will help you specific a variety of actions, from the way you’re feeling to what you’re keen on most. We’ll deal with the current tense to maintain issues easy.
The 20 most typical German verbs
First, right here’s a fast checklist of the commonest verbs of their infinitive kind. Verbs of their infinitive kind are not sure to a topic or tense. For present-tense conjugations of every verb, soar to the subsequent part!
| German | English | |
| 1 | werden | to develop into, to get |
| 2 | haben | to have |
| 3 | sein | to be |
| 4 | können | to give you the option, can |
| 5 | müssen | to should, should |
| 6 | sollen | should, ought to |
| 7 | sagen | to say |
| 8 | geben | to present |
| 9 | wollen | to need |
| 10 | machen | to make, to do |
| 11 | wissen | to know |
| 12 | sehen | to see |
| 13 | mögen | to love, might |
| 14 | lernen | to study |
| 15 | essen | to eat |
| 16 | trinken | to drink |
| 17 | nehmen | to take |
| 18 | denken | to assume |
| 19 | sprechen | to talk |
| 20 | verstehen | to know |
Word: Within the conjugation tables beneath, you’ll discover that the pronoun sie seems 3 times. Within the third particular person, sie means “she” and “they.” When capitalized, Sie means the formal “you.”
1. Werden: to develop into, to get
| ich werde | I get | wir werden | we get |
| du wirst | you get (singular) | ihr werdet | you get (plural) |
| er/sie/es wird | he/she/it will get | sie/Sie werden | they getYou get (formal) |
Instance: Der Junge wird müde. = The boy is getting drained.
Werden is among the most typical German verbs and its current tense conjugation is used to kind each the longer term and passive tenses. Whereas we use it most frequently together with different verbs, within the current tense it’s used to specific the motion of “changing into,” or “getting” as we frequently say In English to specific this.
2. Haben: to have
| ich habe | I’ve | wir haben | We’ve |
| du hast | You have got (singular) | ihr habt | You have got (plural) |
| er/sie/es hat | He/she/it will get | sie, Sie haben | They haveYou have (formal) |
Instance: Ich habe ein schnelles Auto. = I have a quick automobile.
Haben can be one of the crucial frequent German verbs. It’s most frequently used to specific possession over one thing. It is usually used along with the previous participle to kind the current excellent tense. This tense is just like the straightforward previous tense, i.e. Sie haben gestern abend einen Movie gesehen. (They’ve watched a film final night time.).
3. Sein: to be
| ich bin | I’m | wir sind | We’re |
| du bist | You might be (singular) | ihr seid | You might be (plural) |
| er/sie/es ist | He/she/it’s | sie, Sie sind | They’re You might be (singular, formal) |
Instance: Sie ist heute sehr beschäftigt. = She is very busy right now.
Sein is an irregular verb. Within the current tense, sein is among the most vital verbs because it permits you to kind fundamental statements like:
- Ich bin müde. = I am drained.
- Wo ist sie? = The place is she?
- Was sind Sie? = What are they?
Sein is often used at the side of actions and actions, like swimming, operating, and driving. Similar to the verb haben, can be used to kind the current excellent tense, i.e. Sie ist gestern abend ins Kino gegangen. (She has gone to the flicks final night time.).
4. Können: to give you the option (can)
| ich okayann | I can | wir können | We will |
| du okayannst | You possibly can (singular) | ihr könnt | You possibly can (plural) |
| er/sie/es okayann | He/she/it will probably | sie, Sie können | They canYou can (formal) |
Instance: Wir können am Wochenende ins Kino gehen. = We can go to the flicks on the weekend.
Können is each an irregular and a modal verb. A modal verb is used at the side of one other verb. Consider them as an auxiliary verb, or serving to verb. On this case, können is used to point the power to do one thing. When utilizing a modal verb, you’ll conjugate the modal verb, and the opposite verb—usually an motion verb—will stay within the infinitive kind. Right here’s an instance utilizing können and the verb spielen (to play):
- Ich spiele Fußball. = I play soccer.
- Ich kann Fußball spielen. = I can play soccer.
5. Müssen: to should
| ich muss | I’ve to | wir müssen | We’ve to |
| du musst | You must (singular) | ihr müsst | You must (plural) |
| er/sie/es muss | He/she/it has to | sie, Sie müssen | They’ve toYou should (formal) |
Instance: Ich muss den Zug erreichen. = I should catch the practice.
Müssen can be a modal verb. You possibly can pair it with an infinitive to specific necessity, or an motion that must be finished. Right here’s an instance utilizing müssen and the verb schreiben (to write down):
- Tomas schreibt einen Transient. = Tomas is writing a letter.
- Tomas muss einen Transient schreiben. = Tomas should write a letter.
6. Sollen: should, ought to
| ich soll | I ought to | wir soll | We must always |
| du sollst | You need to (singular) | ihr sollt | You need to (plural) |
| er/sie/es soll | He/she/it ought to | sie, Sie sollen | They shouldYou ought to (formal) |
Instance: Du sollst eine Pullover anziehen. = You ought to put on a sweater.
Sollen can be a modal verb. You possibly can pair it with an infinitive to specific what one needs to be doing at a given time.
7. Sagen: to say
| ich sage | I say | wir sagen | We are saying |
| du sagst | You say (singular) | ihr sagt | You say (plural) |
| er/sie/es sagt | He/she/it says | sie, Sie sagen | They sayYou say (formal) |
Instance: Er sagt mir jeden Tag die neuen Preise. = He tells me the brand new costs every day.
In the event you’re new to German, you will see that your self utilizing sagen very often! Sagen can be utilized whenever you want one thing repeated or when you’re undecided what phrase it is best to use:
- Sag das nochmal? = Say that once more?
- Wie sagst du das auf Deutsch? = How do you say that in German?
8. Geben: to present
| ich gebe | I give | wir geben | We give |
| du gibst | You give (singular) | ihr gebt | You give (plural) |
| er/sie/es gibt | He/she/it provides | sie, Sie geben | They giveYou give (formal) |
Instance: Bitte geben Sie mir den Autoschlüssel. = Please give me the automobile keys.
Geben is a stem-changing verb and an irregular verb, so it may be tough to conjugate. Whereas it’s main which means is “to present,” it’s also utilized in many commonplace phrases as an equal for the English “is”:
- es gibt = there is / there are
- Was gibts? = What’s up? What’s the matter?
- Was gibts zum Abendessen? = What’s for dinner?
9. Wollen: to need
| ich will | I would like | wir wollen | We wish |
| du willst | You need (singular) | ihr wollt | You need (plural) |
| er/sie/es will | He/she/it needs | sie, Sie wollen | They need (formal) |
Instance: Wollen wir zusammen auf den Markt gehen? = Do you need to go to the market collectively?
Wollen can be utilized as a modal verb with an infinitive to specific the will to do one thing, as proven above. Or, it will probably perform as an impartial verb with a direct object to specific the will to have one thing:
- Ich will ein neues Kleid. = I need a brand new gown.
10. Machen: to make, to do
| ich mache | I make | wir machen | We make |
| du machst | You make (singular) | ihr macht | You make (plural) |
| er/sie/es macht | He/she/it makes | sie, Sie machen | They make You make (formal) |
Instance: Was machst du heute? = What are you doing right now? (which interprets actually to, “What are you making right now?”)
11. Wissen: to know
| ich weiß | I do know | wir wissen | We all know |
| du weißt | You understand (singular) | ihr wisst | You understand (plural) |
| er, sie es weiß | He/she/it is aware of | sie, Sie wissen | They knowYou know (formal) |
Instance: Ich weiß es nicht. = I don’t know.
12. Sehen: to see
| ich sehe | I see | wir sehen | We see |
| du siehst | You see (singular) | ihr seht | You see (plural) |
| er/sie/es sieht | He/she/it sees | sie, Sie sehen | They seeYou see (formal) |
Instance: Es sieht nach Regen aus. = It seems to be prefer it’s going to rain.
13. Mögen: to love, might
| ich magazine | I like | wir mögen | We like |
| du magst | You want (singular) | ihr mögt | You want (plural) |
| er/sie/es magazine | He/she/it likes | sie, Sie mögen | They likeYou like (formal) |
Instance: Leider magazine sie keinen Fisch. = Sadly she doesn’t like fish.
Within the easy current, mögen means to love or love to do one thing, like within the instance above.
The subjunctive type of mögen is möchten, which implies “want to.” It’s used to specific a want. That is used usually in interactions at eating places, cafes, or shops to politely make a request. For instance:
- Ich möchte eine Tasse Tee, bitte. = I’d like a cup of tea, please.
Möchten turns into a modal when related with an infinitive verb, and means “want to + motion.”
- Möchten Sie dieses Anzug anprobieren? = Would you like to attempt on this swimsuit?
- Wir möchten uns ein neues Auto kaufen. = We might like to purchase a brand new automobile.
14. Lernen: to study
| ich lerne | I study | wir lernen | We study |
| du lernst | You study (singular) | ihr lernt | You study (plural) |
| er/sie/es lernt | He/she/it learns | sie, Sie lernen | They learnYou study (formal) |
Instance: Meine Tochter lernt in der Schule Spanisch. = My daughter learns Spanish in school.
15. Essen: to eat
| ich esse | I eat | wir essen | We eat |
| du isst | You eat (singular) | ihr esst | You eat (plural) |
| er/sie/es isst | He/she/it eats | sie, Sie essen | They eat You eat (formal) |
Instance: Er isst eine Currywurst mit Pommes. = He’s consuming a Currywurst with french fries.
>> Hungry? Discover ways to order Currywurst, french fries, and extra in German!
16. Trinken: to drink
| ich trinke | I drink | wir trinken | We drink |
| du trinkst | You drink (singular) | ihr trinkt | You drink (plural) |
| er/sie/es trinkt | He/she/it drinks | sie, Sie trinken | They drinkYou drink (formal) |
Instance: Die Frau trinkt eine Tasse Kaffee. = The girl is ingesting a cup of espresso.
17. Nehmen: to take
| ich nehme | I take | wir nehmen | We take |
| du nimmst | You’re taking (singular) | ihr nehmt | You’re taking (plural) |
| er/sie/es nimmt | He/she/it takes | sie, Sie nehmen | They takeYou take (formal) |
Instance: Wir nehmen den nächsten Bus ins Kino. = We take the subsequent bus to the movie show.
18. Denken: to assume
| ich denke | I believe | wir denken | We predict |
| du denkst | You assume (singular) | ihr denkt | You assume (plural) |
| er/sie/es denkt | He/she/it thinks | sie, Sie denken | They thinkYou assume (formal) |
Instance: Ich denke, es ist keine gute Idee = I assume this isn’t a good suggestion.
19. Sprechen: to talk, to speak
| ich spreche | I discuss | wir sprechen | We discuss |
| du sprichst | You discuss (singular) | ihr sprecht | You discuss (plural) |
| er/sie/es spricht | He/she/it talks | sie, Sie sprechen | They talkYou discuss (formal) |
Instance: Der Arzt spricht mit den Angehörigen. = The physician talks to the kinfolk.
20. Verstehen: to know
| ich verstehe | I perceive | wir verstehen | We perceive |
| du verstehst | You perceive (singular) | ihr versteht | You perceive (plural) |
| er/sie/es versteht | He/she/it understands | sie, Sie verstehen | They understandYou perceive (formal) |
Instance: Ich verstehe die Anleitung nicht. = I don’t perceive the directions.
Understanding German verb conjugation
All verbs have one factor in frequent—to make use of them in dialog, you’ll have to know tips on how to conjugate them. This implies you’ll want to change the verb to match:
- Who/what’s performing the motion
- When the motion is going down
As you start studying and talking German, you’ll primarily specific your self within the current tense, often known as Präsenz or Gegenwart in German.
German current tense
In German, there is just one type of the current tense. This single tense expresses each recurring and steady motion.
- Recurring: Rob eats oatmeal for breakfast each day.
- Steady: It’s at all times raining in Eire.
For normal verbs within the current tense, you possibly can apply the next steps:
- Take the infinitive type of the verb
- Drop the “-en” on the finish of the verb
- Add the suitable ending
Check out the verb essen (“to eat”) conjugated within the current tense beneath. You’ll discover that the conjugated type of essen for “we” and “they” is identical because the infinitive!
| ich esse | I eat | wir essen | We eat |
| du isst | You eat (singular) | ihr esst | You eat (plural) |
| er/sie/es isst | He/she/it eats | sie, Sie essen | They eatYou eat (formal) |
Instance: Er isst eine Currywurst mit Pommes. = He eats a Currywurst with French Fries.
Whenever you make the leap from newbie to intermediate German, you’ll department into verb tenses with extra complexity to specific what occurred up to now, what would possibly occur sooner or later, and so forth. Although new tenses will be difficult, they provide the freedom to talk naturally and with extra nuance.
The commonest tenses you’ll encounter are the:
- Current
- Future
- Current excellent
- Easy previous
- Future excellent
Now that you just’ve seen conjugations of the 20 most typical German verbs, are you able to make the leap into the opposite verb tenses? To completely specific your self, you’ll need to clarify what occurred up to now and what would possibly occur sooner or later. Although these new tenses will be difficult, we’re right here that will help you conquer them. Try the total information on German verb conjugation right here!
Take your German to the subsequent stage
Commit these 20 frequent German verbs to reminiscence, and also you’ll be capable to carry your self in any dialog! To really feel much more assured, you’ll need to shift from memorization to intuitive, immersive studying.
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