1
The Wonderful World of
German Verbs
Volume II
The Wonderful World of German Verbs
A compilation of everything you need to know about German verbs after four weeks of German I
Copyright October 2011 Roberts Publishing House Union, NJ
Forward
You may have asked yourself in the past, “How do those Germans do it? How do they put those subjects and verbs together to make complete sentences?”
Well, here in Volume II of The Wonderful World of German Verbs, we will explore the ancient, mystical world of verb conjugations!
Come with me as we delve into the mysteries of infinitives, subject/verb agreement, verb stems and verb endings!
Chapter I
The Irregularities of Sein
Sein, as you may have learned in German class, is a vital, yet completely unpredictable verb. Without “sein” we simply could not “be”.
Perhaps it will be easier for us to grasp, if we remember that sein’s English counterpart is also completely irregular. Below are charts of both the English “to be” and the German “sein”. Please note how few similarities exist in both verbs between the infinitives and the conjugated forms.
to be
I amwe are
you areyou are
he is
she isthey are
it is
sein
ich binwir sind
du bistihr seid
er ist
sie istsie sind
es ist
Sie sind
Now that you are armed with some baisic information about sein, let’s apply this information to real life. Below are several sentences in English. Let’s translate them into German. I’ve provided to you any German vocabulary you may not know.
- I am old (alt).
______
- Johan, you are bald (kahl)!
______
- Thomas is a boy (ein Junge).
______
- Lisa is pretty (schön).
______
- It is sunny (sonnig).
______
- We are new here (neu hier).
______
- Max and Ilsa, you are sick (krank).
______
- They are very smart (sehr klug)!
______
Now that you are feeling more comfortable with sein, let’s move on to regular verbs.
Chapter 2
How to Rule Over Regular Verbs
Regular verbs are called regular for a reason. They do the same thing all the time. You may have a “regular” wake up time in the morning, a “regular” route to school, a “regular” seat at the lunch table. It is regular because it is always the same. Once you learn what “regular” German verbs do, you will have control over them.
How do you rule over regular verbs?
Step One:Remove its ending! Strip it down to the bare stem! Almost all German verbs end in –en. Chop it off!
For example:
gehen → geh
wohnen → wohn
kommen → komm
Step Two: Add on the ending that goes with the subject. The endings are as follows:
ich geh+ewir geh+en
du geh+stihr geh+t
er geh+t
sie geh+tsie geh+en
es geh+t
Sie geh+en
Now, armed with this information, you have power over every regular verb in the German language! Let’s try a new verb – singen, which means to sing. Put the correct endings on the stem – sing.
singen – to sing
ich sing______wir sing______
du sing______ihr sing______
er sing______
sie sing______sie sing______
es sing______
Sie sing______
Now try one all by yourself! How about the verb springen – to jump!
springen - ______
ich ______wir______
du ______ihr ______
er ______
sie ______sie ______
es ______
Sie ______
Let’s do another!
Spielen – to play!
spielen - ______
ich ______wir______
du ______ihr ______
er ______
sie ______sie ______
es ______
Sie ______
Now let’s complete some sentences in German. Use the verb in parenthesis!
- Ich ______(kommen) aus Union.
- Er ______(gehen) nach Hause.
- Tina ______(spielen) Tennis.
- Wir ______(singen) laut.
- ______(wohnen) du in Union?
- Ihr ______(spielen) Musik.
- Ilsa und Jan ______(singen) gut.
- Herr Meier, ______(spielen) Sie Basketball?
- Wie ______(gehen) es dir?
- Du ______(kennen) Timo.
- Ich ______(wohnen) in den USA.
- Meine Mutter ______(spielen) Gitarre.
- Wir ______(machen) die Hausaufgaben.
Let’s put it all together! Translate the following from English into German!
- I know Felix.
______
- They come from Maplewood.
______
- He lives in Union.
______
- Alex and Tina sing well.
______
- She plays soccer.
______
6. Astrid knows Peter.
______
7. Erik, you play Tennis.
______
8. We jump!
______