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The present tense in German

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In German, there is only one present tense (unlike English which has the simple present and the continuous present for example). To express that an action is in progress, the adverb gerade is usually added after the verb conjugated in the present tense: 

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Ich lese gerade = I am reading

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Reminder: the conjugated verb is always the second element of the sentence in German, or last in a relative subordinate clause.

 

Weak verbs

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For the conjugation of regular verbs (also called "weak verbs") in the present, the -en or -n at the end of the verb is removed, and the following endings are added depending on the subject:

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machen (do)

 

ich mache

du machst

er / sie / es macht

wir machen

ihr macht

sie machen

 

For verbs whose stem ends with -d (finden = find), -t (warten = wait), -n after a consonant other than -l or -r (regnen = rain), -m after a consonant other than -l or -r (atmen = breathe), a -e is added for the second person of the singular (du) before the -st, and before the -t for the third person of the singular (er, sie, es) and the second person of the plural (ihr):

 

warten (wait)

 

ich warte

du wartest

er / sie / es wartet

wir warten

ihr wartet

sie warten

 

For verbs whose stem ends in -s, -ß, -x or -z, (lesen = read, grüßen = greet, faxen = fax, sitzen = be seated), a -t is added for the second person singular (du) and not -st.

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sitzt, faxt, grüßt, liest

 

For verbs whose stem ends with -eln and sometimes also with -ern (klingeln = ring, wandern = hike, sammeln = collect), the verb radical loses the final -e before the -l or the -r for the first person singular (ich). So we will have:

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ich klingle, ich wand(e)re, ich sammle

 

Strong verbs

 

Many strong verbs experience a second-person vowel change for the second singular (du)  and the third-person singular (er, sie, es).

 

For strong verbs with a stem in -a (fahren = drive, go with a motorized means), the -a becomes -ä:

 

ich fahre, du fährst, er fährt, wir fahren, ihr fahrt, sie fahren

 

Exceptions:    mahlen (grind), schaffen (manage, create), salzen (salt) and schallen (resound, echo)

 

For strong verbs with a stem in -e (gelten = be valid, apply to), the -e becomes -i or sometimes -ie (lesen = read):

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ich gelte, du giltst, er gilt, wir gelten, ihr geltet, sie gelten

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ich lese, du liest, er liest, wir lesen, ihr lest, sie lesen

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Exceptions: bewegen (move), gehen (go, walk), genesen (heal), heben (lift), scheren (shear), stehen (stand)

 

For strong verbs with a stem in -o (stoßen = hit, bang), the -o becomes -ö:

 

ich stoße, du stößt, er stößt, wir stoßen, ihr stoßt, sie stoßen.

 

Exception: kommen (come)

 

For strong verbs with a stem in -ö (erlöschen = die out, expire), the -ö becomes -i:

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ich erlösche, du erlischst, erlischt, wir erlöschen...

 

Exception : schwören (vow)