Verbs

Verbs are conjugated (conjugation). Depending on the subject (person, number), different endings are added to the verb stem (infinitive without –en or –n). Some verbs will have further changes, especially the irregular verbs.

When conjugated, verbs also form a tense (verb tense). There are six tenses in German: Präsens (the present tense), Präteritum (the preterit(e) tense), Perfekt (the perfect tense), Plusquamperfekt (the pluperfect tense), Futur I (the future tense) and Futur II (the future perfect tense).

Often, when common irregular verbs are conjugated, the 2nd and 3rd person singular stem vowel changes in the present tense (vowel change), e.g.

The preterite of regular verbs is formed by inserting the suffix -t- between the stem and the personal ending. An e is added to the preterite -t- when the verb stem ends in a -d or -t. The preterite of irregular verbs is formed without the suffix -t- and the stem vowel changes. The 1st and 3rd person singular do not have a personal ending. Some verbs are conjugated using a combination (regular and irregular). These verbs form the preterite with the suffix -t- and a change to the stem vowel. Some verbs have additional changes in the stem, e.g.:

With the exception of the verbs haben and sein and the modal verbs, whose preterite tense is also used in oral speech, the preterite tense is most commonly used in written narratives and reports.

The preterite forms of the verbs haben (to have) and sein (to be) are irregular.

The past participle of regular verbs without prefixes is formed with the (grammatical) prefix ge-, the verb stem and the (grammatical) suffix (ending) –(e)t, e.g.:

The past participle of regular verbs ending in the suffix -ieren is formed using only the suffix (ending) -t, e.g.:

The past participle of irregular verbs without a prefix is formed with the (grammatical) prefix ge-, the verb stem (often with a changed stem vowel) and the (grammatical) suffix (ending) -en, e.g.:

The grammatical prefix ge- is inserted between the prefix and verb stem in verbs with a separable prefix (e.g.: verbs beginning with ab-, an-, aus-, bei-, mit-, vor-), for example:

Verbs without a separable prefix do not receive the grammatical prefix ge-, for example:

(Dictionaries make reference to the form of the past participle of every irregular verb.)

The German present perfect tense is formed from the (present) form of haben or sein and the past participle of the required verb.

Most verbs form the present perfect with the auxiliary verb haben, e.g.:

Only a few verbs form the present perfect with sein, e.g.:

A process (an action, etc.) can be conveyed in the past using both the preterite and perfect tenses. Predominantly, the past is conveyed using the perfect tense in spoken German (every day language). However, modal verbs (especially in combination with other verbs), as with haben and sein, usually take the preterite tense, e.g.:

The pluperfect is formed using a preterite form of haben or sein (like the perfect tense) and the past participle of the verb to be conjugated.

The pluperfect is used to refer to a process that occured and was completed in the past – before another past process that is also being mentioned at the same time – using the preterite or perfect tenses, e.g.:

The future tense is formed using a (present tense) form of werden and the infinitive of the verb to be conjugated.

In order to express a process that will occur in the future, you would be likely to use the present tense and a time reference. The future tense is not used in this manner as frequently. For example:

The future tense often expresses a speculation (= a modal meaning), also in combination with wohl, wahrscheinlich, etc. For example:

As the predicate of the sentence multiple (composite) verb forms like the present perfect, pluperfect and the future tenses, make a “Satzklammer” (sentence bracket) around other elements or phrases (see also “Word Order” ), e.g.:

In addition to expressing person, number and tense, a conjugated verb form also expresses a mood (Modus). The indicative, imperative and subjunctive are moods.

The indicative mood is expressed in the tense. It does not take on special forms, e.g.:

The subjunctive takes on special forms that are derived from the indicative form.

The past subjunctive is formed based on the indicative preterite form of the verb.

The stem vowel is often transformed into an umlaut: a > ä, o > ö, u > ü.
Some personal endings also take an -e. This is often dropped in spoken language.

The past subjunctive is often replaced by the form of würde + infinitive, e.g.:

When asking polite questions, making requests (favors, advice), expressing wishes or setting conditions (in complex sentences), the past subjunctive, as well as the würde + infinitive form, are often used. It marks a process as not (yet) real, e.g.:

The imperative form (for requests and instructions) can be made from practically every verb:

The imperative form is required in request or command sentences.

Different kinds of requests and commands can be expressed with the imperative. Other words - and in spoken German the way something is said - play an important role, e.g.:

In addition to expressing person, number, tense and mood, a conjugated verb form also expresses the genus verbi (kind of verb). The active and passive are forms of genus verbi.

The active form is expressed naturally using the tense-mood forms illustrated above. There is no special form, e.g.:

The passive (dynamic passive) voice has special forms. It is produced using a form of werden and the past participle of the verb, e.g.:

Active and passive (dynamic passive) allow you to present circumstances from different perspectives, e.g.:

The passive form (dynamic passive) can be substituted with lassen + sich + infinitive when trying to express the modal meaning ‘möglich’ (possible) (können), e.g.:

and with sein + adjective (derived from the verb) with the suffix -bar, e.g.:

Verbs may require an accusative object (a completion, supplemental information) e.g.:

Verbs may require a dative object (a completion, supplemental information) e.g.:

Verbs may require an object (a completion, supplemental information) with a specific preposition (prepositional object), e.g.:

It is possible for the accusative object or the dative object to refer to one and the same person as the subject with some verbs – so it refers back to the subject. If so, this is called a reflexive verb. The accusative object or the dative object is expressed via a reflexive pronoun (mich – mir, dich – dir, sich – sich …), e.g.:

If the verb requires an accusative object, the facultative reflexive pronoun will be in the dative, e.g.:

Reflexive verbs always occur together with a reflexive pronoun, e.g.:

The reflexive pronoun of reflexive verbs usually takes the accusative (exception, e.g.: sich (dat.) merken); it changes (as with reflexively used verbs) according to the grammatical gender of the subject, e.g.:

The reflexive pronoun always comes after the conjugated verb in statements (second verb phrase).