In English, verbs only change in the third person singular: "I go, you go, he goes." In German, every pronoun gets its own ending. It sounds complicated — but the good news is that for regular verbs, one table does the job. Learn it once, apply it to thousands of verbs.
How it works: Remove the infinitive ending -en or -n from the verb → find the stem (Stamm) → add the personal ending.
machen → mach + e / st / t / en / t / en
Regular Verb Endings (Präsens)
The table below applies to all regular verbs. Just attach the endings to the stem:
| Pronoun | Ending | Example with machen | Example with spielen |
|---|---|---|---|
| ich | -e | ich mache | ich spiele |
| du | -st | du machst | du spielst |
| er/sie/es | -t | er macht | es spielt |
| wir | -en | wir machen | wir spielen |
| ihr | -t | ihr macht | ihr spielt |
| sie / Sie | -en | sie machen | Sie spielen |
Rule: wir and sie/Sie (formal) are always the same as the infinitive. wir machen = infinitive machen ✓
Regular vs Irregular Verbs
Some German verbs change their stem vowel in the 2nd and 3rd person singular. These are called strong verbs (starke Verben). It is important to learn the most common ones from the start.
⚠️ Watch out: Verbs whose stem ends in -d, -t, -n, -m add an -e- buffer before the "du" and "er/sie/es" endings: arbeiten → du arbeitest, er arbeitet (otherwise it would be very hard to pronounce).
Most Common Irregular Verbs (A1)
Memorising these verbs should be your first priority — they form the backbone of everyday German speech:
- sein (to be) — ich bin, du bist, er ist
- haben (to have) — ich habe, du hast, er hat
- werden (to become / future) — ich werde, du wirst, er wird
- fahren (to drive / travel) — ich fahre, du fährst, er fährt
- lesen (to read) — ich lese, du liest, er liest
- sprechen (to speak) — ich spreche, du sprichst, er spricht
- essen (to eat) — ich esse, du isst, er isst
- sehen (to see) — ich sehe, du siehst, er sieht
Learn sein and haben First
These two verbs are essential for both everyday conversation and building the past tense (Perfekt). Do not skip them.
Repeat Out Loud
Chanting "ich mache, du machst, er macht…" aloud builds muscle memory. Language learning also trains your mouth.
Practise in Real Sentences
Don't just memorise tables. Build real sentences: "Ich lese ein Buch. Du liest eine Zeitung."
Group Irregular Verbs
Learn a→ä changes (fahren, schlafen, laufen) or e→i changes (lesen, sprechen, essen) together as groups.
Test Yourself
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