Verbs

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A verb is a part of speech that denotes action, occurrence, or existence (state of being). Verbs
are inflected to show tense, mood, and sometimes person, number, and voice.
An infinitive is the name of a verb (a noun). Infinitives in English, when referred to, are
(usually) preceded by the "function word," to. German infinitives are not. German infinitives
end in -en. A few end in -eln, -ern, or simply -n. The stem of the German verb is the verb
with the -en or -n dropped. Thus, the stem of the verb haben (to have) is hab...
Person: There are three singular persons (in English "I," thou," and " he/ she/ it") and three
plural persons ("we," "you" [used singularly also in Modern English], and "they"). Incidentally, Old English
had two other persons signifying "we-two" and "you-two". In German, the third person plural
(sie "they") when capitalized (Sie) serves as the formal "you," both singular and plural.
German grammars usually treat Sie as a forth-person plural, and so shall we.
Mood: There are four moods in German and English grammar (indicative, imperative,
conditional, and subjunctive). The indicative mood is the simple statement of fact or question
("Jack is good. Is Jack good?"). The imperative mood is the command or request ("Stop!
Jack! Be good! Do be good!"). The conditional mood expresses a condition, as in the first
clause in the sentence if it rains, I won't go. The subjunctive mood voices supposition,
hypothesis, recommendation, or condition contrary to fact ("You act as if you were there. If I
were king."). In German, but not English, the subjunctive mood is used optionally in indirect
quotation as in "Jack said that he was (were, in German) good", but not in direct quotation as
in "Jack said; 'What a good boy am I!'"
Fortunately for the student, the subjunctive form of many verbs in German is the same as the
indicative or merely involves an easily remembered vowel shift. The verb sein (to be),
however, has two subjective forms used not-quite interchangeably. (In both German and
English this verb is an amalgam of two ancient, quite different verbs. This accounts for its
irregularity in both languages.)
Voice: Verbs can be in active or passive voice, illustrated by the following examples:
ACTIVE Priscilla chose John. [The subject (Priscilla) acts]</TD< TR>
PASSIVE John was chosen by Priscilla. [The subject (John) does not act]</TD< TR>
In passive voice the object of the active voice becomes the subject, and the former subject
becomes an agent. In German, the passive voice is created by using the verb werden (to
become) as the main verb with the past participle of the active verb appended to the end of
the clause. That's right, after the agent, any object or adverbs, adjectives, adverbial time
phrases, etc. In the above example, the agent (Priscilla) was signaled by the preposition "by."
In German, living agents are in the dative case and signaled by the preposition von (from).
Inanimate objects or forces are in accusative case and signaled by the preposition durch
(through). Here is the above example in German:
ACTIVE Priscilla whlte John. [The subject (Priscilla) acts]</TD< TR>
PASSIVE John wurde von Priscilla gewhlt. [The subject (John) does not act]</TD< TR>
The following example illustrates how the past participle comes at the very end of the clause
in German:

John wurde von der schnen jungen Priscilla in entscheidender Weise sehr
schnell gewhlt.
but not in English:
(John was chosen very quickly in a decisive way by the beautiful young
Priscilla.)
Here is an example with an inanimate agent:
Mein Haus wurde durch den Sturm total verwstet. (My house was totally
devastated by the storm)
Be aware that the verb werden (to become) is similarly used with the infinitive of verbs to
form future tenses.
Der Sturm wird mein Haus total verwsten. (The storm will totally devastate
my house)
Tense: German verbs (like English verbs) are divided into "weak verbs." and "strong verbs."
Then there are also a few "irregular" verbs. The weak verbs are very regular in their
inflections. The strong verbs are not. The English verb "to pray" is a weak verb. The imperfect
(simple past) tense and past participle are made by simply adding -ed to the verb stem: ("I
prayed, they prayed, we have prayed). The English verb "to sing" is a strong verb. The past
tense and past participle are made by changing vowels in the verb stem: ("I sang, they sang,
we have sung"). The same distinction occurs in German verbs. Most German verbs are weak,
but the most often used verbs are strong. Very often, the German analogue of English strong
verbs are also strong.
German verbs have six tenses in the indicative mood. Remember that German has no
progressive tenses so English progressive forms are translated into the equivalent nonprogressive tense. These six German tenses with English examples follow:
Present
I pray (am praying)
thou prayeth (art praying)
he, she, it prays (is praying)
we pray (are praying)
you pray (are praying)
they pray (are praying) </TD

Perfect
I have prayed (have been praying)
thou hast prayed (hast been praying)
He, she, it has prayed (has been
praying)

Imperfect (simple past)

I prayed (was praying)

thou prayedst (wast praying)
he, she, it prayed (was praying)
we prayed (were praying)
You prayed (were praying)
they prayed (were praying)</TD< TR>
Pluperfect
I had prayed (had been praying)
thou hadst prayed (hadst been praying)
he, she, it had prayed (had been praying)
we had prayed (had been praying)

we have prayed (have been praying)

you have prayed (have been praying)
they have prayed (have been
praying)</TD< TR>
Future

you had prayed (had been praying)

they had prayed (had been praying) </TD< TR>

Future perfect
I will/shall have prayed (will/shall have been praying)
I will/shall pray (will/shall be praying)
thou wilt/shalt have prayed (wilt/shalt have been
thou wilt/shalt] pray (wilt/shalt be
praying)
praying)
he, she, it will/shall have prayed (will have been
he, she, it will/shall pray (will/shall be
praying)
praying)
we will/shall have prayed (will/shall have been
we will/shall pray (will/shall be
praying)
praying)
you will/shall have prayed (will/shall have been
you will pray (will be praying)
praying)
they will pray (will be praying) </TD<
they will/shall have prayed (will/shall have been
TR>
praying) </TD< TR>
Notice that several auxiliary verbs are used to form various tenses in the above examples.
These auxiliary verbs include will, the verb to have, and the verb to be. As mentioned earlier,
German uses the verb werden (to become) to form the future tense instead of will or shall
(which to the British ear has a different nuance). German uses both the verb haben (to have)
and sein (to be) to make the perfect tenses.
The verb haben is used with transitive verbs and sein with certain intransitive verbs (verbs
that do not take a direct object). Let us conjugate the indicative tenses of the verb beten (to
pray), a weak transitive verb:
beten (to pray), a Weak Transitive Verb
Present

Imperfect (simple past)

ich bete (I pray)

du betest (you [familiar/singular] pray)
er, sie, es betet (he, she, it prays)
wir beten (we pray)
ihr betet (you [familiar/plural] pray)
sie beten (they pray)
Sie beten (you [formal] pray) </TD
ich betete (I prayed)
du betetest (you [familiar/singular] prayed)
er, sie, es betete (he, she, it prayed
wir beteten (we prayed)
ihr betetet (You [familiar/plural] prayed)
sie beteten (they prayed)
Sie beteten (you [formal] prayed) </TD< TR>
Perfect
ich habe gebetet (I have prayed )
du hast gebetet (you [familiar/singular] have
prayed)
ier, sie, es hat gebetet (he, she, it has
prayed )

Pluperfect
ich hatte gebetet (I had prayed)
du hattest gebetet (you [familiar/singular] had prayed)
es, sie, es hatte gebetet (he, she, it had prayed)
wir hatten gebetet (we had prayed)
ihr hattet gebetet (you [familiar/plural] had prayed)

wir haben gebetet (we have prayed)

ihr habet gebetet (you [familiar/plural] have
prayed)
sie haben gebetet (they have prayed)
Sie haben gebetet (you [formal] have
prayed) </TD< TR>
Future

sie hatten gebetet (they had prayed )

Sie hatten gebetet (you [formal] had prayed) </TD<
TR>

Future perfect

ich werde gebetet haben (I will/shall have prayed)

ich werde beten (I will/shall pray )
du wirst gebetet haben (you [familiar/singular] will/shall
du wirst beten (you [familiar/singular] will/shall
have prayed)
pray )
er, sie, es wird gebetet haben (he, she, it will/shall
er, sie, es wird beten (he, she, it will/shall
have prayed)
pray)
wir werden gebetet haben (we will/shall have prayed)
wir werden beten (we will/shall pray)
ihr werdet gebetet haben (you [familiar/plural] will/shall
ihr werdet beten (you [familiar/plural] will
have prayed)
pray )
sie werden gebetet haben (they will/shall have
sie werden beten (they will pray
prayed)
Sie werden beten (you [formal] will pray )
Sie werden gebetet haben (you [formal] will/shall have
</TD< TR>
prayed) </TD< TR>
Now let us examine a strong verb:
singen (to sing), a Strong Transitive Verb
Present

Imperfect (simple past)

ich singe (I sing)

du singst (you [familiar/singular] sing)
er, sie, es singt (he, she, it sings)
wir singen (we sing)
ihr singt (you [familiar/plural] sing)
sie singen (they sing)
Sie singen (you [formal] sing) </TD
ich sang (I sang)
du sangst(you [familiar/singular] sang)
er, sie, es sang (he, she, it sang
wir sangen (we sang)
ihr sangt (You [familiar/plural] sang)
sie sangen (they sang)
Sie sangen (you [formal] sang) </TD< TR>
Perfect
ich habe gesungen (I have sung )
du hast gesungen (you [familiar/singular] have
sung)
er, sie, es hat gesungen (he, she, it has
sung )
wir haben gesungen (we have sung)
ihr habt gesungen (you [familiar/plural] have
sung)

Pluperfect
ich hatte gesungen (I had sung)
du hattest gesungen (tyou [familiar/singular] had sung)
es, sie, es hatte gesungen (he, she, it had sung)
wir hatten gesungen (we had sung)
ihr hattet gesungen (you [familiar/plural] had sung)
sie hatten gesungen (they had sung )
Sie hatten gesungen (you [formal] had sung) </TD<
TR>

sie haben gesungen (they have sung)

Sie haben gesungen (you [formal] have
sung) </TD< TR>
Future
ich werde singen (I will/shall sing )
du wirst singen (you [familiar/singular]
will/shall sing )
er, sie, es wird singen (he, she, it
will/shall sing)
wir werden singen (we will/shall sing)
ihr werdet singen (you [familiar/plural] will
sing )
sie werden singen (they will sing
Sie werden singen (you [formal] will sing )
</TD< TR>

Future perfect
ich werde gesungen haben (I will/shall have sung)
du wirst gesungen haben (you [familiar/singular] will/shall
have sung)
er, sie, es wird gesungen haben (he, she, it will/shall
have sung)
wir werden gesungen haben (we will/shall have
sung)
ihr werdet gesungen haben (you [familiar/plural] will/shall
have sung)
sie werden gesungen haben (they will/shall have
sung)
Sie werden gesungen haben (you [formal] will/shall
have sung) </TD< TR>

Present tense: In German there is only one form of the present tense corresponding to (pray,
do pray, am praying) in English. There are no progressive tenses, and the present participle is
used only adjectively and adverbially in German. The present tense is frequently used in
German for future events as it is occasionally in English as in "he leaves tomorrow." The
present tense is made by adding -e, -(e)st, -(e)t, -en, -(e)t, -en to the verb stem.
The additional -e is inserted in the second and third person singular, and in the second person
plural (as can be seen in the verb beten above) when the stem ends in -chn -d, -dn, -fn, -gn,
-t, -tm.
When the stem ends in -s, , -x, -z, no additional -s (or s sound) is added to the second person
singular. Thus: du reist (you travel), du behext (you bewitch), and du tanzt (you dance); not
reisst, behexst, or tanzst.
When the verb stem ends in -eln, the e preceding the -ln is dropped in the first person
singular: klingeln (to ring) becomes ich klingle.
Notice that the first and third person plural are identical to the infinitive. This is also true for
verbs ending in -eln and -ern. No -e is added before the final -n. Thus: wir klingeln, sie
klingeln, Sie klingeln (we ring, they ring, you ring).
Imperfect tense: The imperfect or simple past tense of weak verbs is made by additing -(e)te,
-(e)test, -(e)te, -(e)ten, -(e)tet, -(e)ten to the verb stem. The additional -e is used when the verb
stem ends in -chn -d, -dn, -fn, -gn, -t, -tm. These endings are the equivalent of the English
past-tense ending -ed. Strong verbs used the inflected verb stem for the imperfect tense. An
-st is added to this stem for the second person singular, and -en, -t, and en are added
respectively to the first, second, and third persons plural. Notice that the first person and third
person singular are the same in the imperfect tense.
Perfect tense: The perfect tenses utilize an auxiliary verb (haben or sein) plus the past
participle. The past participle falls at the end of the clause. The perfect tense is much used in
German as a simple replacement for the imperfect tense, particularly in conversation, and
thereby loses some of its English "up-to-now" connotation.
Past participles: The past participle is formed by prefixing the third person singular of weak
verbs or the verb stem of strong verbs plus -en with ge-. Not all verbs use the ge- prefix to
form the past participle. German has a number of "foreign" (Latin based) verbs which end in
-ieren (interessieren, interpretieren, exportieren, probieren, spazieren). These are weak

verbs, and simply use the third person singular (without the prefix) for the past participle.
Verbs with inseparable prefixes of be-, ent-, er-, ge-, statt-, ber-, um-, ver- and zer- do not
add the prefix ge- to form the past participle.
Some common weak (regular) verbs that use haben as auxiliary for the perfect tenses are:
Weak Verbs and their Past Participles
infinitive

past participle

antworten (to answer)

arbeiten (to work)
atmen (to breathe)
fragen (to question)
freuen (to please)
glauben (to believe)
gren (to greet)
hren (to hear)
kaufen (to buy)
kosten (to cost)
lernen (to learn, study)
lieben (to love)
machen (to make, do)
meinen (to mean)
*

geantwortet
gearbitet
geatmet
gefragt
gefreut
geglaubt
gegrt
gehrt
gekauft
gekostet
gelernt
geliebt
gemacht
gemeint

infinitive

past participle

passen (to suit)

probieren (to test)
rauchen (to smoke)
regnen (to rain)
sagen (to say)
schmecken (to taste)
setzen (to set)
spielen (to play)
stellen (to place)
suchen (to search for)
tanzen (to dance)
weinen (to weep)
wohnen (to dwell)
wnschen (to wish)

gepat
probiert*
gerauchet
geregnet
gesagt
geschmeckt
gesetzt
gespielt
gestellt
gesucht
getanzt
geweint
gewohnt
gewnscht

Note: The past participles of Latin-based verbs ending in -ieren are not prefixed with ge-.

Intransitive verbs often denote condition or change of location (motion). The verb sein is used
to form perfect tenses primarily (but not exclusively) with intransitive verbs of motion. The
auxiliary verb sein (to be) is use to make the perfect tenses of the following intransitive verbs:

Intransitive Verbs of Movement

fahren (to go by vehicle)

gleiten (to glide)

reien (to travel)

schwimmen (to swim)

fallen (to fall)

klettern (to climb)

reiten (to ride

[horse])

stehen (to stand)

fliegen (to fly)

kommen (to come) rennen (to race)

gehen (to walk, go)

laufen (to run)

steigen (to climb)

rutschen (to slide) wandern (to wander)

but also some intransitive verbs not exactly involving movement

bleiben (to stay)

geschehen (to
occur)

schmelzen (to melt)

verschwinden (to
disappear)

entstehen (to materialize,

result)

passieren (to
happen)

sterben (to die)

wachsen (to grow)

Incidentally, the auxiliary verb werden (to become) and sein (to be) itself are conjugated with
sein to form the perfect tenses.
Nearly all of the verbs conjugated with sein are strong verbs or irregular. Some verbs in the
above list can take a direct object (become transitive) and are then conjugated with haben.

For example, the verb to fly: one can "fly to New York" (intransitive) or "fly an airplane"
(transitive). One can "ride to town" (intransitive) or "ride a horse" (transitive).
Strong verbs add the same ending in the present tense (-e, [e]st), -[e]t, -en, [e]t, -en) as weak
verbs. However, there may be also a vowel change within the stem. If there is an a in the last
syllable of the stem, it becomes in the second and third persons singular. Many strong verbs
with e or ie change these to i in the second and third person singular.
Strong verbs do not form past participles like weak verbs do. Strong verbs add the prefix geto the infinitive (not the verb stem plus t) and under certain circumstances change a vowel or
diphthong within the infinitive. These vowel changes have many strong parallels with those in
English strong verbs. The patterns of vowel changes are as follows:
stem vowels imperfect (past) past participle

examples

ei

i
ie

i
ie

reiten, ritt, geritten (to ride a horse)

bleiben, blieb, geblieben (to stay)

ie

frieren, fror, gefroren (to freeze)

a
o

singen, sang, gesungen (to sing)

schwimmen, schwamm, geschwommen (to swim)

brechen, brach, gebrochen (to break)

geben, gab, gegeben (to give)

same
vowel
as
infinitive

a, au
ei, o

ie

schlagen, schlug, geschlogen (to hit)

halten, hielt, gehalten (to hold)
heien, hie, geheien (to be named)
rufen, rief, gerufen (to call)

Here are some more examples of strong verbs:

ei becomes i in imperfect and past paticiple
infinitive

present (3rd per. sing.) imperfect

past participle

beien (to bite)

beit

bi

gebien

leiden (to suffer)

leidet

litt

gelitten

schneiden (to cut)

schneidet

schnitt

geschnitten

schleifen (to polish)

schleift

schliff

geschliffen

schleichen (to sneak)

schleicht

schlich

geschlichen

ei becomes ie in imperfect and past paticiple

infinitive

present (3rd per. sing.) imperfect

past participle

leihen (to loan)

leiht

lieh

geliehen

scheinen (to shine)

scheint

schien

geschienen

schreiben (to write)

schreibt

schrieb

geschrieben

schreien (to scream)

schreit

schrie

geschrieen

schweigen (to be silent)

schweigt

schwieg geschwiegen

steigen (to climb)

steigt

stieg

gestiegen

ie becomes o in imperfect and past paticiple

infinitive

present (3rd per. sing.) imperfect

past participle

biegen (to bend)

biegt

bog

gebogen

fliegen (to fly)

fliegt

flog

geflogen

fliehen (to flee)

flieht

floh

geflohen

flieen (to flow)

fliet

flo

geflossen

riechen (to smell)

riecht

roch

gerochen

schieen (to shoot)

schiet

scho

geschossen

schlieen (to close)

schliet

schlo

geschlossen

verlieren (to lose)

verliert

verlor

geloren

wiegen (to weigh , rock)

wiegt

wog

gewogen

ziehen (to drag)

zieht

zog

gezogen

i becomes a in imperfect and u in past paticiple

infinitive

present (3rd per. sing.) imperfect

past participle

binden (to bind)

bindet

band

gebunden

finden (to find)

findet

fand

gefunden

singen (to sing)

singt

sang

gesungen

sinken (to sink)

sinkt

sank

gesunken [sein]

springen (to spring, jump) springt

sprang

gesprungen [sein]

stinken (to stink)

stinkt

stank

gestunken

trinken (to drink)

trinkt

trank

getrunken

i becomes a in imperfect and o in past paticiple

infinitive

present (3rd per. sing.) imperfect

past participle

beginnen (to begin)

beginnt

begann

begonnen

gewinnen (to win)

gewinnt

gewann gewonnen

e becomes a in imperfect and o in past paticiple

infinitive

present (3rd per. sing.) imperfect

empfehlen (to recommend) empfehlt

past participle

empfahl empfohlen

also e can become i in second and third person singular in present tense
infinitive

present singular
imperfect
(2nd and 3rd person)

past participle

helfen (to help)

hilfst, hilft

half

geholfen

nehmen (to take)

nimmst, nimmt

nahm

genommen

sprechen (to speak)

sprichst, spricht

sprach

gesprochen

sterben (to die)

stirbst, stirbt

starb

gestorben [sein]

treffen (to meet)

triffst, trifft

traf

getroffen

werfen (to throw)

wirfst, wirft

warf

geworfen

There are a few important strong verbs that do not follow the above partterns. These are:
infinitive

present (3rd per. sing.) imperfect past participle

gehen (to go, walk) geht

ging

gegangen

stehen (to stand)

steht

stand

gestanden

tun (to do)

tut

tat

getan

There are nine mixed verbs. All but one are weak (regular) in the present tense, but change
their stem uniquely in the imperfect and past participle. They form the imperfect tense like
weak verbs by adding -(e)te, -(e)test, -(e)te, -(e)ten, -(e)tet, -(e)ten to an altered stem. The past
participle is formed by prefixing ge- and adding -t to the altered stem.
infinitive

present
(3rd per. sing.)

imperfect past participle

brennen (to burn)

brennt

brannte gebrannt

bringen (to bring)

bringt

brachte

gebracht

denken (to think)

denkt

dachte

gedacht

kennen (to know [someone]) kennt

kannte

gekannt

nennen (to name, call)

nennt

nannte

genannt

rennen (to run , race)

rennt

rannte

gerannt

senden (to send)

sendet

sandte

gesandt

wenden (to turn)

wendet

wandte

gewandt

one exception also changes in present 1st, 2nd and 3rd person singular
(as shown below)
infinitive
wissen (to know [a fact])

present singular
imperfect past participle
(1st, 2nd, 3rd person)
wei, weit, wei

wute

gewut

Auxiliary verbs: Three auxiliary verbs are used to form the future, the passive, and the
perfect tenses. These are werden (to become), haben (to have), and sein (to be). All are
irregular:
werden (to become)
Present

Imperfect (simple past)

ich werde (I become)

du wirst (you [familiar/singular] become)
er, sie, es wird (he, she, it becomes)
wir werden (we become)
ihr werdet (you [familiar/plural] become)
sie werden (they become)
Sie werden (you [formal] become) </TD
ich wurde (I became)
du wurdest (you [familiar/singular] became)

er, sie, es wurde (he, she, it became

wir wurden (we became)
ihr wurdet (You [familiar/plural] became)
sie wurden (they became)
Sie wurden (you [formal] became) </TD< TR>
Perfect

Pluperfect

ich bin geworden (I have become )

du bist geworden (you [familiar/singular] have
become)
er, sie, es ist geworden (he, she, it has
become )
wir sind geworden (we have become)
ihr seid geworden (you [familiar/plural] have
become)
sie sind geworden (they have become)
Sie sind geworden (you [formal] have
become) </TD< TR>

ich war geworden (I had become)

du warst geworden (you [familiar/singular] had become)
es, sie, es war geworden (he, she, it had become)
wir waren geworden (we had become)
ihr wart geworden (you [familiar/plural] had become)
sie waren geworden (they had become )
Sie waren geworden (you [formal] had become)
</TD< TR>

Future

Future perfect

ich werde werden (I will become )

ich werde geworden sein (I will have become)
du wirst werden (you [fam./sing.] will
du wirst geworden sein (you [fam./sing.] will have
become )
become)
er, sie, es wird werden (he, she, it will
er, sie, es wird geworden sein (he, she, it will have
become)
become)
wir werden werden (we will become)
wir werden geworden sein (we will have become)
ihr werdet werden (you [fam./plural] will
ihr werdet geworden sein (you [fam./plural] will have
become )
become)
sie werden werden (they will become
sie werden geworden sein (they will have become)
Sie werden werden (you [formal] will become Sie werden geworden sein (you [formal] will have
) </TD< TR>
become) </TD< TR>
haben (to have)
Present

Imperfect (simple past)

ich habe (I have)

du hast (you [familiar/singular] have)
er, sie, es hat (he, she, it has)
wir haben (we have)
ihr habt (you [familiar/plural] have)
sie haben (they have)
Sie haben (you [formal] have) </TD
ich hatte (I had)
du hattest (you [familiar/singular] had)
er, sie, es hatte (he, she, it had
wir hatten (we had)
ihr hattet (You [familiar/plural] had)
sie hatten (they had)
Sie hatten (you [formal] had) </TD< TR>
Perfect

Pluperfect

ich habe gehabt (I have had )

du hast gehabt (you [familiar/singular] have had)
er, sie, es hat gehabt (he, she, it has had )
wir haben gehabt (we have had)
ihr habt gehabt (you [familiar/plural] have had)
sie haben gehabt (they have had)
Sie haben gehabt (you [formal] have had)
</TD< TR>

ich hatte gehabt (I had had)

du hattest gehabt (you [familiar/singular] had had)
es, sie, es hatte gehabt (he, she, it had had)
wir hatten gehabt (we had had)
ihr hattet gehabt (you [familiar/plural] had had)
sie hatten gehabt (they had had )
Sie hatten gehabt (you [formal] had had) </TD< TR>

Future

Future perfect

ich werde gehabt haben (I will have had)

ich werde haben (I will have )
du wirst gehabt haben (you [fam./sing.] will have had)
du wirst haben (you [fam./sing.] will have )
er, sie, es wird gehabt haben (he, she, it will have
er, sie, es wird haben (he, she, it will have) had)
wir werden haben (we will have)
wir werden gehabt haben (we will have had)
ihr werdet haben (you [fam./plural] will have ) ihr werdet gehabt haben (you [fam./plural] will have
sie werden haben (they will have
had)
Sie werden haben (you [formal] will have ) sie werden gehabt haben (they will have had)
</TD< TR>
Sie werden gehabt haben (you [formal] will have had)
</TD< TR>
sein (to be)
Present

Imperfect (simple past)

ich bin (I am)

du bist (you [familiar/singular] are)
er, sie, es ist (he, she, it is)
wir sind (we are)
ihr seid (you [familiar/plural] are)
sie sind (they are)
Sie sind (you [formal] are) </TD
ich war (I was)
du warst (you [familiar/singular] were)
er, sie, es war (he, she, it was)
wir waren (we were)
ihr wart (You [familiar/plural] were)
sie waren (they were)
Sie waren (you [formal] were) </TD< TR>
Perfect
ich bin gewesen (I have been )
du bist gewesen (you [familiar/singular] have
been)
er, sie, es ist gewesen (he, she, it has
been )
wir sind gewesen (we have been)
ihr seid gewesen (you [familiar/plural] have
been)
sie sind gewesen (they have been)
Sie sind gewesen (you [formal] have been)
</TD< TR>

Pluperfect
ich war gewesen (I had been)
du warst gewesen (you [familiar/singular] had been)
es, sie, es war gewesen (he, she, it had been)
wir waren gewesen (we had been)
ihr wart gewesen (you [familiar/plural] had been)
sie waren gewesen (they had been )
Sie waren gewesen (you [formal] had been) </TD<
TR>

Future

Future perfect

ich werde sein (I will be )

du wirst sein (you [fam./sing.] will be )
er, sie, es wird sein (he, she, it will be)
wir werden sein (we will be)
ihr werdet sein (you [fam./plural] will be )
sie werden sein (they will be)
Sie werden sein (you [formal] will be )
</TD< TR>

ich werde gewesen sein (I will have been)

du wirst gewesen sein (you [fam./sing.] will have been)
er, sie, es wird gewesen sein (he, she, it will have
been)
wir werden gewesen sein (we will have been)
ihr werdet gewesen sein (you [fam./plural] will have
been)
sie werden gewesen sein (they will have been)
Sie werden gewesen sein (you [formal] will have
been) </TD< TR>

Modal auxiliary verbs: There are six modal auxiliary verbs in German. All of the modal
auxiliary verbs use haben for the perfect tenses and all are irregular in the present tense
singular. These verbs are used with the infinitive of a main verb to indicate obligation,
permission, necessity, ability, and preference or desire. The main-verb infinitive comes at the
end of the clause. These modal verbs are drfen, (to be permitted, may), mssen, (to have to,
must), knnen (to be able, can), mgen (to like to), wollen (to want to), and sollen (to
suppose to, ought). These modal verbs are conjugated in the in the indicative as follows:
drfen (to be permitted to, allowed to, may)
Present

Imperfect (simple past)

ich darf (I am allowed to)

du darfst (you [familiar/singular] are allowed to)
er, sie, es darf (he, she, it is allowed to)
wir drfen (we are allowed to)
ihr drft (you [familiar/plural] are allowed to)
sie drfen (they are allowed to)
Sie drf (you [formal] are allowed to) </TD
ich durfte (I was allowed to)
du durftest (you [familiar/singular] were allowed to)
er, sie, es durfte (he, she, it was allowed to)
wir durften (we were allowed to)
ihr durftet (You [familiar/plural] were allowed to)
sie durften (they were allowed to)
Sie durften (you [formal] were allowed to) </TD<
TR>
Perfect
ich habe gedurft (I was allowed to)
du hast gedurft (you [fam./singular] were
allowed to)
er, sie, es hat gedurft (he, she, it was
allowed to)
wir haben gedurft (we were allowed to)
ihr habt gedurft (you [familiar/plural] were
allowed to)
sie haben gedurft (they were allowed to)

Pluperfect
ich hatte gedurft (I had been allowed to)
du hattest gedurft (you [familiar/singular] had been
allowed to)
es, sie, es hatte gedurft (he, she, it had been
allowed to)
wir hatten gedurft (we had been allowed to)
ihr hattet gedurft (you [familiar/plural] had been allowed
to)
sie hatten gedurft (they had been allowed to )

Sie haben gedurft (you [formal] were

allowed to) </TD< TR>

Sie hatten gedurft (you [formal] had been allowed to)

</TD< TR>

Future

Future perfect

ich werde gedurft haben (I will have been allowed

to)
ich werde drfen (I will be allowed to )
du wirst gedurft haben (you [fam./singular] will have
du wirst drfen (you [fam./singular] will be
been allowed)
allowed to )
er, sie, es wird gedurft haben (he, she, it will have
er, sie, es wird drfen (he, she, it will be
been allowed)
allowed to)
wir werden gedurft haben (we will have been
wir werden drfen (we will be allowed to)
allowed to)
ihr werdet drfen (you [fam./plural] will be
ihr werdet gedurft haben (you [fam./plural] will have
allowed to )
been allowed)
sie werden drfen (they will be allowed to
sie werden gedurft haben (they will have been
Sie werden drfen (you [formal] will be
allowed to)
allowed to ) </TD< TR>
Sie werden gedurft haben (you [formal] will have
been allowed to) </TD< TR>
mssen (to have to, must)
Present

Imperfect (simple past)

ich mu (I have to)

du must (you [familiar/singular] have to)
er, sie, es mu (he, she, it has to)
wir mssen (we have to)
ihr mt (you [familiar/plural] have to)
sie mssen (they have to)
Sie mssen (you [formal] have to) </TD
ich mute (I had to)
du mutest (you [familiar/singular] had to)
er, sie, es mute (he, she, it had to)
wir muten (we had to)
ihr mutet (You [familiar/plural] had to)
sie muten (they had to)
Sie muten (you [formal] had to) </TD< TR>
Perfect
ich habe gemut (I have had to)
du hast gemut (you [fam./singular] have had
to)
er, sie, es hat gemut (he, she, it has had
to)
wir haben gemut (we have had to)
ihr habt gemut (you [familiar/plural] have had
to)
sie haben gemut (they have had to)
Sie haben gemut (you [formal] have had to)
</TD< TR>
Future

Pluperfect
ich hatte gemut (I had had to)
du hattest gemut (you [familiar/singular] had had to)
es, sie, es hatte gemut (he, she, it had had to)
wir hatten gemut (we had had to)
ihr hattet gemut (you [familiar/plural] had had to)
sie hatten gemut (they had had to )
Sie hatten gemut (you [formal] had had to) </TD<
TR>

Future perfect

ich werde mssen (I will have to )

ich werde gemut haben (I will have had to)
du wirst mssen (you [fam./singular] will have du wirst gemut haben (you [fam./singular] will have
to )
had to)
er, sie, es wird mssen (he, she, it will have er, sie, es wird gemut haben (he, she, it will have
to)
had to)
wir werden mssen (we will have to)
wir werden gemut haben (we will have had to)
ihr werdet mssen (you [fam./plural] will have ihr werdet gemut haben (you [fam./plural] will have
to )
had to)
sie werden mssen (they will have to)
sie werden gemut haben (they will have had to)
Sie werden mssen (you [formal] will have Sie werden gemut haben (you [formal] will have
to ) </TD< TR>
had to) </TD< TR>
knnen (to be able to, can)
Present

Imperfect (simple past)

ich kann (I can)

du kannst (you [familiar/singular] can)
er, sie, es kann (he, she, it can)
wir knnen (we can)
ihr knnt (you [familiar/plural] can)
sie knnen (they can)
Sie knnen (you [formal] can) </TD
ich konnte (I could)
du konntest (you [familiar/singular] could)
er, sie, es konnte (he, she, it could)
wir konnten (we could)
ihr konntet (You [familiar/plural] could)
sie konnten (they could)
Sie konnten (you [formal] could) </TD< TR>
Perfect

Pluperfect

ich habe gekonnt (I was able to)

du hast gekonnt (you [fam./singular] were able
to)
er, sie, es hat gekonnt (he, she, it was able
to)
wir haben gekonnt (we were able to)
ihr habt gekonnt (you [familiar/plural] were able
to)
sie haben gekonnt (they were able to)
Sie haben gekonnt (you [formal] were able to)
</TD< TR>

ich hatte gekonnt (I had been able to)

du hattest gekonnt (you [familiar/singular] had been
able to)
es, sie, es hatte gekonnt (he, she, it had been able
to)
wir hatten gekonnt (we had been able to)
ihr hattet gekonnt (you [familiar/plural] had been able
to)
sie hatten gekonnt (they had been able to )
Sie hatten gekonnt (you [formal] had been able to)
</TD< TR>

Future

Future perfect

ich werde knnen (I will be able to )

ich werde gekonnt haben (I will have been able
du wirst knnen (you [fam./singular] will be able to)
to )
du wirst gekonnt haben (you [fam./singular] will have
er, sie, es wird knnen (he, she, it will be
been able to)
able to)
er, sie, es wird gekonnt haben (he, she, it will
wir werden knnen (we will be able to)
have been able to)
ihr werdet knnen (you [fam./plural] will be able wir werden gekonnt haben (we will have been

able to)
ihr werdet gekonnt haben (you [fam./plural] will
to )
have been able to)
sie werden knnen (they will be able to
sie werden gekonnt haben (they will have been
Sie werden knnen (you [formal] will be able
able to)
to ) </TD< TR>
Sie werden gekonnt haben (you [formal] will be
able to) </TD< TR>
mgen (to like, want, may)
Present

Imperfect (simple past)

ich mag (I like, want to)

du magst (you [familiar/singular] like, want to)
er, sie, es mag (he, she, it likes, wants to)
wir mgen (we like, want to)
ihr mgt (you [familiar/plural] like, want to)
sie mgen (they like, want to)
Sie mgen (you [formal] like, want to) </TD
ich mochte (I liked, wanted to)
du mochtest (you [familiar/singular] liked, wanted to)
er, sie, es mochte (he, she, it liked, wanted to)
wir mochten (we liked, wanted to)
ihr mochtet (You [familiar/plural] liked, wanted to)
sie mochten (they liked, wanted to)
Sie mochten (you [formal] liked, wanted to) </TD<
TR>
Perfect

Pluperfect

ich habe gemocht (I have wanted to)

du hast gemocht (you [fam./singular] have
wanted to)
er, sie, es hat gemocht (he, she, it has
wanted to)
wir haben gemocht (we have wanted to)
ihr habt gemocht (you [familiar/plural] have
wanted to)
sie haben gemocht (they have wanted to)
Sie haben gemocht (you [formal] have wanted
to) </TD< TR>

ich hatte gemocht (I had wanted to)

du hattest gemocht (you [familiar/singular] had wanted
to)
es, sie, es hatte gemocht (he, she, it had wanted
to)
wir hatten gemocht (we had wanted to)
ihr hattet gemocht (you [familiar/plural] had wanted
to)
sie hatten gemocht (they had wanted to )
Sie hatten gemocht (you [formal] had wanted to)
</TD< TR>

Future

Future perfect

ich werde mgen (I will want to )

ich werde gemocht haben (I will have wanted to)
du wirst mgen (you [fam./singular] will want to ) du wirst gemocht haben (you [fam./singular] will have
er, sie, es wird mgen (he, she, it will want wanted to)
to)
er, sie, es wird gemocht haben (he, she, it will
wir werden mgen (we will want to)
have wanted to)
ihr werdet mgen (you [fam./plural] will want wir werden gemocht haben (we will have wanted
to )
to)
sie werden mgen (they will want to
ihr werdet gemocht haben (you [fam./plural] will
Sie werden mgen (you [formal] will want to ) have wanted to)
</TD< TR>
sie werden gemocht haben (they will have

wanted to)
Sie werden gemocht haben (you [formal] will be
able to) </TD< TR>
wollen (to intend to, want)
Present

Imperfect (simple past)

ich will (I want to)

du willst (you [familiar/singular] want to)
er, sie, es will (he, she, it wants to)
wir wollen (we want to)
ihr wollt (you [familiar/plural] want to)
sie wollen (they want to)
Sie wollen (you [formal] want to) </TD
ich wollte (I wanted to)
du wolltest (you [familiar/singular] wanted to)
er, sie, es wollte (he, she, it wanted to)
wir wollten (we wanted to)
ihr wolltet (You [familiar/plural] wanted to)
sie wollten (they wanted to)
Sie wollten (you [formal] wanted to) </TD< TR>
Perfect

Pluperfect

ich habe gewollt (I have wanted to)

du hast gewollt (you [fam./singular] have
wanted to)
er, sie, es hat gewollt (he, she, it has
wanted to)
wir haben gewollt (we have wanted to)
ihr habt gewollt (you [familiar/plural] have
wanted to)
sie haben gewollt (they have wanted to)
Sie haben gewollt (you [formal] have wanted
to) </TD< TR>

ich hatte gewollt (I had wanted to)

du hattest gewollt (you [familiar/singular] had wanted to)
es, sie, es hatte gewollt (he, she, it had wanted to)
wir hatten gewollt (we had wanted to)
ihr hattet gewollt (you [familiar/plural] had wanted to)
sie hatten gewollt (they had wanted to )
Sie hatten gewollt (you [formal] had wanted to)
</TD< TR>

Future

Future perfect

ich werde gewollt haben (I will have wanted to)

ich werde wollen (I will want to )
du wirst gewollt haben (you [fam./singular] will have
du wirst wollen (you [fam./singular] will want wanted to)
to )
er, sie, es wird gewollt haben (he, she, it will have
er, sie, es wird wollen (he, she, it will want wanted to)
to)
wir werden gewollt haben (we will have wanted
wir werden wollen (we will want to)
to)
ihr werdet wollen (you [fam./plural] will want ihr werdet gewollt haben (you [fam./plural] will have
to )
wanted to)
sie werden wollen (they will want to
sie werden gewollt haben (they will have wanted
Sie werden wollen (you [formal] will want
to)
to ) </TD< TR>
Sie werden gewollt haben (you [formal] will have
wanted to) </TD< TR>
sollen (to be suppose to, be obliged to)

Present

Imperfect (simple past)

ich soll (I ought to, am obliged to)

du sollst (you [familiar/singular] ought to, are
obliged to)
er, sie, es soll (he, she, it ought to, is
obliged to)
wir sollen (we ought to, are obliged to
ihr sollt (you [familiar/plural] ought to, are
obliged to)
sie sollen (they ought to, are obliged to)
Sie sollen (you [formal] ought to, are obliged
to) </TD
ich sollte (I was obliged to)
du solltest (you [familiar/singular] were obliged to)
er, sie, es sollte (he, she, it was obliged to)
wir sollten (we were obliged to)
ihr solltet (You [familiar/plural] were obliged to)
sie sollten (they were obliged to)
Sie sollten (you [formal] were obliged to) </TD< TR>
Perfect
ich habe gesollt (I have been obliged to)
du hast gesollt (you [fam./singular] have been
obliged to)
er, sie, es hat gesollt (he, she, it has been
obliged to)
wir haben gesollt (we have been obliged
to)
ihr habt gesollt (you [familiar/plural] have been
obliged to)
sie haben gesollt (they have been obliged
to)
Sie haben gesollt (you [formal] have been
obliged to) </TD< TR>
Future

Pluperfect
ich hatte gesollt (I had been obliged to)
du hattest gesollt (you [familiar/singular] had been
obliged to)
es, sie, es hatte gesollt (he, she, it had been obliged
to)
wir hatten gesollt (we had been obliged to)
ihr hattet gesollt (you [familiar/plural] had been obliged
to)
sie hatten gesollt (they had been obliged to )
Sie hatten gesollt (you [formal] had been obliged to)
</TD< TR>

Future perfect

ich werde gesollt haben (I will have been obliged

to)
ich werde sollen (I will be obliged to )
du wirst gesollt haben (you [fam./singular] will have
du wirst sollen (you [fam./singular] will be
been obliged to)
obliged to )
er, sie, es wird gesollt haben(he, she, it will have
er, sie, es wird sollen (he, she, it will be
been obliged to)
obliged to)
wir werden gesollt haben (we will have been
wir werden sollen (we will be obliged to)
obliged to)
ihr werdet sollen (you [fam./plural] will be
ihr werdet gesollt haben (you [fam./plural] will have
obliged to )
been obliged to)
sie werden sollen (they will be obliged to
sie werden gesollt haben (they will have been
Sie werden sollen (you [formal] will be
obliged to)
obliged to ) </TD< TR>
Sie werden gesollt haben (you [formal] will have
been obliged to) </TD< TR>

Note: Like most irregular verbs, only the single forms of the present tense are irregular. The
first and third persons singular are identical,
The modal auxiliary verbs are used with the infinitive. The infinitive is located at the end of
the clause, unless the modal and infinitive are used in a dependent clause. In negative clauses,
the nicht (not) usually comes just before the infinitive. Here are some examples of how the
modal verbs are used:
Darf ich rauchen? (May I smoke?)
Sie drfen nicht Zigaretten rauchen. (You may not smoke cigarettes.)
Ich mu nach Hause gehen. (I have to go home.)
Wir werden gehen mssen. (We will have to go.)
Ich kann ihn hren. (I can hear him.)
Ich kann ihn nicht hren. (I can not hear him.)
Ich mochte es nicht sehen. (I didn't want to see it.)
Ich mag nicht. (I would rather not.)
Was wollen Sie? (What do you want?)
Wollt ihr bei uns bleiben? (Do you [fam./plural] want to stay with us?)
Was soll ich? (What am I [expected] to do?)
Du sollst die Wahrheit sagen. (You should tell the truth.)
Note: Very often the main verb is dropped when the meaning is clear: Ich kann Deutsch. (I
can [speak] German.)
Ich mu in die Stadt. (I must [go] into the city.)
Er mu nach Hause. ( He must [go] home.)
Wir wollen ins Kino. (We want [to go] to the movies.)
NOTE: If a modal is used in a perfect tense with a main-verb infinitive, the modal's infinitive
is used in place of its past participle: Er hatte Deutsch gekonnt. (He had been able [to speak
understood] German.)
but
Er hatte Deutsch spechen knnen [infinitive] (He had been able to speak German.)
Dependent Infinitives: Like modals, the verbs helfen (to help), hren (to hear), lassen (to
leave), and sehen (to see) can be used alone or with the infinitive of another verb. This
infinitive is referred to as a dependent infinitive. When the verb lassen is used with a
dependent infinitive, it means to let or to allow. Ich half meinem Bruder (I helped my
brother)
Ich half meinem Bruder lernen [dependent infinitive] (I helped my brother study)
Ich hre Musik (I hear music)
Ich hre meine Frau singen [dependent infinitive] ( hear my wife singing)
Ich lie meinen Hut hier. (I left my hat here.)
Ich lasse meinen Bruder kommen [dependent infinitive] (I let my brother come.)
Ich sah ihn (I saw him)
Ich sah ihn sterben [dependent infinitive] (I saw him die) When these verbs are used in the perfect
tenses with dependent infinitives, their past participles turn into the infinitive form like the
modal verbs: Er hat seiner Mutter geholfen (He helped his mother)

Er hat seiner Mutter arbeiten helfen (He helped his mother work)
Wir haben die Musik gehrt (We heard the music)
Wir haben sie singen hren (We heard her singing)
Ich habe meinen Hut da gelassen (I have left my hat)
Ich habe ihn gehen lassen (I let him go)
Sie hatte den Kunstler gesehen (She had seen the artist)
Sie hatte den Kunstler malen sehen (She had seen the artist painting)
Except with the four verbs above and the modal verbs, or the future tense, dependent
infinitives are preceded with zu, often following certain prepositions. The following
prepositions introduce infinitive phrases in which the dependent infinitive is preceded by zu:
(an)statt ... zu + infinitive (instead of ..... -ing)
Er hat gespielt anstatt zu lernen (He played instead of studying)
ohne ... zu + infinitive (without ..... -ing)
Er kam ins Zimmer ohne zu klopfen (He came in the room without knocking)
um ... zu + infinitive (in order to ..... )
Ich kam, um Ihnen zu helfen (I came in order to help you)
Note: The infinitive phrase is set off by a comma when it is more than the simple zu plus
infinitive and the infinitive falls at the end of the phrase.
Infinitives preceded by zu are used in phrases following an anticipatory da(r)- prepositional
compound. In translation, the da(r)- prepositional compound can usually be ignored. Observe
the following examples:
Er denkt nicht daran, uns zu fragen. (He doesn't think to ask us.)
Er hofft darauf, mitzukommen. (He is hoping to come along.)
Wir warteten darauf, den Hund zu fttern. (We waited to feed the dog.)
Note: The zu comes between the prepositional and infinitive parts of separable verbs like
mitkommen. Separable verbs will be discussed shortly.
Certain verbs can introduce zu plus infinitive phrases. For example:
Er fngt an, mir die Zeitung vorzulesen. (He began to read the newspaper to me.)
Some of these verbs are:
anfangen (to begin)
aufhren (to cease)
bitten (to request)
erlauben (to allow)
hoffen (to hope)
vergessen (to forget)

Ich fange an, nicht an ihn zu glauben. (I am beginning not to

believe in him.)
Ich hre auf, die Geschichte zu glauben. (I cease to believe
the story.)
Er bittet, seine Mutter mitzunehmen. (He asked his mother to
take him along.)

Ich erlaube mir zu sagen ... (I take the liberty of saying ...)
Wir hoffen, das Museum zu besuchen. (We are hoping to visit
the museum.)
Ich vergass, Geld mitzubringen. (I forgot to bring money
along.)
Er verspricht mir, mich zu anrufen. (He promises me to call
me.)
Er schlug vor, ein Buch zu lesen. (He suggested a good book
to read)
Ich wnsche, mitzukommen. (I wish to come along.)
Ich finde es nett, Deutsch zu sprechen. (I find it nice to speak
German.)

versprechen (to promise)

vorschlagen (to suggest)
wnschen (to wish)
etwas [nett, schne, etc.]
finden
(to find something [nice,
pretty, etc.]

Separable and inseparable verb prefixes: German has a large number of phrasal verbs.
These are verbs comprising an inflected verb and one or two uninflected particles or prefixes
like after, in, up, off, or out. These particles and their verbs have the force of single-word
verbs. Many of these particles attached to verbs are also ordinary prepositions. They provide
additional (or changed) meaning to their verb. Some of these prefixes become separated from
the verb in clauses. Others do not. The basic (separate) meaning of the preposition usually is
related to its meaning as a prefix. Some of the separable prefixes (and associated verbs) are as
follows:
Separable Verb Prefixes
Prefix

meaning

example

ab

away from

abfahren (to leave, drive away)

an

to, up to

ankommen (to arrive)

auf

up, on

aufstehen (to stand up)

aus

out

ausgehen (to go out)

bei

at, to

beibringen (to provide, instruct)

ein

into

einlassen (to admit, let in)

her

toward the speaker

herbringen (to bring hither)

hin

away from the speaker hergehen (to go away)

mit

with

mitbringen (to bring along with)

nach after

nachlesen (to look up in a book)

vor

before

vorschlagen (to propose, suggest)

zu

to, together

zuhren (to listen to)

In a simple sentence, these prefixes (above) are separated from the verb an fall at the end of
the clause: Wir fahren ab. (We are leaving.)
Sie kommen nun an. (They are arriving now.)
Die Studenten stehen auf. (The students are standing up.) These separable prefixes are
recoupled with the past participle in perfect tenses: Wir sind ausgegangen. (We have gone
out.)
Sie haben das nachgelesen. (They looked that up.)
Ich hatte das vorgeschlagen. (I had proposed that.) When an infinitive is used or if the verb

falls at the end of a subordinate clause, the prefix stays attached: Wir werden ausgehen. (We
will go out.)
Sie werden das nachlesen. (They will look that up.)
Ich sagte, da ich das vorschlug. (I said, that I proposed that.) Some more common separable
verbs are as follows:
Common Separable Verbs
abholen (to pick up a person)
abkrzen (to shorten)
ablegen (to take off clothing)
absetzen (to drop off a person)
anfangen (to begin, start)
annehmen (to accept)
anrufen (to telephone)
anzeigen (to report a person)
anziehen (to dress)
aufhalten (to hold up, detain)
aufhren (to stop, desist)

aufpassen (to pay attention)

aussehen (to appear, look)
ausziehen (to undress)
beitragen (to contribute)
einkaufen (to shop)
einladen (to invite)
einsteigen (to get on board)
fertigmachen (to prepare)
herkommen (to come here)
hinausfahren (to go out of)
hingehen (to go there)

kennenlernen (to know a person)

mitkommen (to accompany)
mitnehmen (to take along)
nachschlagen (to look up in a book)
nachsehen (to check on in a book)
vorbeikommen (to drop by)
vorbereiten (to prepare)
vorhaben (to plan)
vorziehen (to prefer)
zumachen (to close)
zuschauen (to watch a show)

Some compound separable verbs are composed of two verbs, only the second of which is
declined. Examples are:
kennenlernen (to make acquaintance with)
Ich lerne ihn kennen. (I am acquainted with him.)
spazierengehen (to take a walk)
Wir gingen in dem Park spazieren. (We took a walk in the park.)
Certain verbs have inseparable prefixes. Many of these prefixes are not used alone, have no
fixed meaning alone, and are never separated from verbs. These are as follows:
Inseparable Verb Prefixes
Prefix

meaning

example

ant-

to

antworten (to answer)

be-

at, with

beachten (to pay attention to)

emp- internal

empfehlen (to recommend)

ent-

goal

entstehen (to originate)

er-

goal

erreichen (to arrive at, reach)

ge-

accomplish gestehen (to confess)

ver-

emphasis

verstehen (to understand)

zer-

assunder

zerreien (to rip apart)

Other verbs have inseparable prefixes of ordinary prepositions. For example:

unternehmen (to undertake)

Wir unternahmen eine Reise. (we undertook a trip.)
unterscheiden (to distinguish)
Wir unterscheiden Deutsch von Englisch. (We distinguish German from
English.)
berraschen (to surprise)
Wir wurden vom Sturm berrascht*. (We were surprised by the storm.)
bersetzen (to translate**)
Ich bersetzte vom Englischen ins Deutsche. (I translated from the English into
the German.)
Note: *Past participles of inseparable verbs do not use the ge- prefix.
**
Incidentally, bersetzen can be a separable verb meaning "to ferry across."
Separable prefixes are accented, but the verbal part of inseparable verbs are accented. Thus:
'bersetzen (to ferry across) separable prefix accented.
ber'setzen (to translate) inseparable prefix NOT accented.
Verbs that take the Dative: Certain verbs are always followed by the dative case. These are:
Common Verbs that Take Dative Objects
antworten (to answer)
danken (to thank)
folgen (to follow, obey)
gefallen (to be pleasing to)
gehren (to belong to)
glauben (to believe)
gratulieren (to congratulate)
schmecken (to be good tasting)

Ich antwortete dem Lehrer. (I answered the teacher.)

Ich dankte meinem Vater. (I thanked my father.)
Ich folge meinem Chef. (I obeyed [followed] my boss.)
Das Buch gefiel mir nicht. (That book didn't please me.)
Das Auto gehrte ihm. (That car belonged to him.)
Glauben Sie mir nicht? (Don't you believe me?)
Ich gratuliere Ihnen. (I congratulate you.)
Dieser Kuchen schmeckt mir. (This cake tastes good to me.)

Reflexive verbs: A reflexive verb is one in which the subject and the object of the verb are the
same person or thing. The reflexive construction consists of a subject, a verb, and a reflexive
pronoun. Reflexive pronouns may be in the accusative or dative case depending on the verb
used or whether the verb has (another) direct object. Do not confuse the English reflexive
pronoun ("myself, himself, themselves, etc.") with the intensive pronoun. Many verbs are
reflexive in German that are not reflexive in English.
Some common reflexive verbs that take the accusative case are as follows:
Common Reflexive Verbs Using Dative Reflexive Pronouns
sich amsieren (to amuse oneself)

sich fhlen (to feel {happy, well, etc})

sich anhren (to listen to)

sich anziehen (to dress oneself)
sich aufregen (to get excited)
sich ausziehen (to undress oneself)
sich beeilen (to hurry)
sich benehmen (to behave, conduct oneself)
sich bewegen (to move [oneself])
sich entscheiden (to decide)
sich entschuldigen (to apologize)
sich erinnern an (to remember)
sich erklten (to catch cold)
sich freuen (to be glad)
sich freuen an ... (to delight in ...)
sich freuen auf ... (to look forward to ...)
sich freuen ber ... (to rejoice over ...)

sich frchten vor ... (to be afraid of ...)

sich gewhnen an ... (to get use to ...)
sich interessieren fr ... (to be interested in ...)
sich legen (to ilie down)
sich rasieren (to shave [oneself])
sich setzen (to sit down)
sich stellen (to place oneself)
sich umziehen (to change clothing)
sich unterhalten (to converse, enjoy oneself)
sich verletzen (to injure oneself)
sich verspten (to be tardy)
sich vorstellen (to introduce oneself)
sich waschen (to bathe)
sich wundern ber ... (to be surprised at ...)
sich zuwenden (to turn to)

There are a few reflexive verbs that take the dative case. However, when there is (another)
direct object, the reflexive pronouns of most reflexive verbs change to the dative. When the
direct object is another pronoun, the dative pronoun follows the accusative. For example one
might say: Ich kmme mich. (I comb myself.)
but
Ich kmme mir das Haar. (I comb my hair.)
and
Ich kmme es mir zweimal pro Tag. (I comb it twice a day.) Usually such expression deal with
parts of the body or clothing: "I wash the [my] face. I changed the [my] coat, etc."
Note that an article is used with direct object , not a possessive adjective. See the following
example: Ich wasche mich. (I wash myself.)
but
Ich wasche mir das Haar. (I wash the hair.) A dative reflexive pronoun is used with many
verbs (not generally reflexive) to indicate that the subject of the clause is the beneficiary of
the action. For example: Ich habe ein neues Auto gekauft. (I bought a new automobile.)
but
Ich habe mir ein neues Auto gekauft. (I bought myself a new automobile.)
Du bestelltst dir Bier. (You ordered yourself beer.)
Ich backte mir einen Kuchen. (I baked myself a cake.)
There are several common reflexive verbs which take the dative case, but they also usually
take a direct object:
Common Reflexive Verbs Using Dative Reflexive Pronouns
sich [etwas] einbilden (to imagine, fancy
sich [etwas] ansehen (to take a look at
[something])
[something])
sich [etwas] vorstellen (to imagine [something]) sich [etwas] leisten (to afford [something])
sich [etwas] merken (to keep [something] in
sich weh tun (to hurt oneself)
mind)
Du hast dir etwas auf deine Schlauheit eingebildet. (You have flattered yourself with your
cleverness.)

Das kann ich mir nicht vorstellen. (I can't imagine that.)

Ich mu es mir merken. (I must keep that in mind.)
Ich sah mir das Dorf an. (I had a look at the village.)
Ich kann es mir nicht leisten. (I can't afford it.)
Ich habe mir weh getan. (I have injured myself.)
Note: The verb sich vorstellen means "to imagine" with the dative reflexive pronoun, but "to
introduce oneself" with the accusative reflexive pronoun.
Many reflexive verbs are perfectly good non-reflexive verbs.
Imperative: The imperative verb form is used to give orders or make requests or suggestions.
There are three forms of the imperative corresponding to the three forms or "you" in German
(du, ihr, and Sie). The word bitte (please) may be used to soften a command. Bitte may be the
first word in the clause, the last word, or be stuck in the middle of the expression. Another
word doch may also be used to soften commands. It is the equivalent of "why don't you" in
English. Suggestions are made with the infinitive followed with wir. All German imperatives
use an exclamation point.
Suggestions with wir:
Gehen wir nach Hause! (Let's go home.)
Sprechen wir doch Deutsch! (Why don't we speak German?)
Formal (Sie) imperatives. Unlike English, the pronoun is used with formal commands
or requests unless it is a general command not addressed to a particular person. Such
general commands use the infinitive:
Einsteigen! (All aboard!)
Nicht zumachen! (Do not close!)
Nicht rauchen! (No smoking!)
Formal commands, singular and plural, specifically address are made with the
infinitive
followed by the pronoun Sie:
Steigen Sie ein! (Get on board!)
Warten Sie! (Wait!)
Setzen Sie sich! (Sit down!)
or softened with bitte:
Bitte, setzen Sie sich! (Please sit down.)
Setzen Sie sich, bitte! (Sit down please.)
or with doch
Warten Sie doch einen Moment! (Just wait a minute.)
The du imperative (singular familiar). The pronoun is omitted as in English. The verb
stem plus -e is used. Commonly used verbs optionally drop the -e:

Warte einen Moment, bitte! (Wait a minute, please.)

Arbeite nicht so viel! (Don't work so much!)
Sag' mir etwas! (Tell me something.)
Steh' auf! (Get up!)
The apostrophe is optional; the -e is often simply omitted:
Komm mit! (Come with [me, us]!)
Mach die Hausaufgabe! (Do your homework!)
Strong verbs that change e to i or ie used the irregular stem with out adding -e:
Sprich doch Deutsch! (Speak German!)
Gib es mir! (Give it to me!)
Nimm dienenMantel mit! (Take your coat along!)
Sieh mich an! (Look at me!)
Other strong verbs use the verb stem (without the vowel change):
Halt den Mund [die Klappe]! (Shut up!)
Schlaf wohl! (Sleep well!)
Lauf schneller! (Run faster!)
Steig aus! (Get out!)
The ihr imperative (plural familiar). The present second-person plural
conjugation is used with the pronoun omitted (as in English):
Macht die Tr zu! (Close the door! [you-plural])
Sprecht langsamer! (Speak slower! [all of you])
Sprecht doch Englisch! (Just speak English.[you-plural])
Studenten! Steht auf! (Students! Stand up!)
Kommt doch am Abend! (Come in the evening![you-plural])
Seht doch die Tafel an! (Just look at the blackboard.[you-plural])
The imperative of the verb sein (to be) is irregular. Examine the following:
Seien wir pnktlich! (Let us be time! [suggestion] )
Seien Sie pnktlich! (Be on time! [you-formal] )
Sei pnktlich! (Be on time! [you-informal singular] )
Seid pnktlich! (Be on time! [you-informal plural] )
Conditional: The German conditional mood is a form of future subjunctive. It is
formed with the auxiliary wrden, the imperfect subjunctive of werden, plus an
infinitive. Observe the following to see how the conditional is used:
Ich wrde nichts nehmen ... (I would take nothing ...)
Sie wrden den Kindern helfen ... (They would help the children ...)
Wrdst du bezahlen? (Would you pay?)
Du weit, was ich sagen wrde. (You know what I would say.)
Wrden Sie das Geld nehmen? (Would you take the money?)

Subjunctive: The subjunctive mood is used to express unreality, possibility, doubt in

the mind of the speaker, etc. In German, a form of the subjunctive is used also
(somewhat optionally) in indirect discourse.
There are four tenses of the subjunctive in German (present, past, future, and future
perfect). Each tenses has a primary and secondary subjunctive form (a general
subjunctive much used, and a special subjunctive used in special circumstances).
Various grammars used different terms for the two forms. Unless otherwise stated, we
refer to the most often used form.
The present (imperfect) subjunctive is formed by adding -e, -est, -e, -en, et, and -en to
the imperfect verb stem. The present subjunctive for weak verbs is identical with the
imperfect indicative (as is the case in English).
When both imperfect and subjunctive are identical, and if the meaning is not clear
from content, the present conditional is used instead (wrden plus the infinitive).
The irregular verbs brennen, kennen, nennen, rennen, senden, and wenden use the
simple verb stem without a vowel change to form the subjunctive:
Present Subjunctive
ich bennte
wir rennten
du kenntest
ihr sendet
er, sie, es nennte sie wenden
Sie wenden
The irregular verbs bringen, denken, and wissen use their imperfect stem, add umlaut
to the vowel in the stem, and add the subjunctive endings (-e, -est, -e, -en, et, and -en).
In short, they simple form the present subjunctive with a vowel shift in the imperfect
form:
Present Subjunctive
ich brchte
wir brchten
du dchtest
ihr dchtet
er, sie, es wte sie wten
Sie wten
Strong verbs form the present subjunctive by adding the present subjunctive endings
(-e, -est, -e, -en, et, and -en) to the imperfect stem. Those imperfect stems containing
the vowels a, o, or u add an umlaut (have a vowel shift). Below are two examples.
These are the verbs bleiben (to stay) without a vowel shift, and sehen (to see) with a
vowel shift:
bleiben (to stay)
imperfect
ich blieb
du bliebst
er, sie, es blieb
wir blieben
ihr bliebt
sie blieben

present subjunctive
ich bliebe
du bliebest
er, sie, es bliebe
wir blieben
ihr bliebet
sie blieben

sehen (to see)

imperfect
ich sah
du sahst
er, sie, es sah
wir sahen
ihr saht
sie sahen

present subjunctive
ich she
du shest
er, sie, es she
wir shen
ihr shet
sie shen

Sie blieben

Sie blieben

Sie sahen

Sie shen

There are strong verbs with irregular present subjunctives. The following four
common verbs modify the imperfect stem to form the subjunctive:
helfen (to help)
imperfect

stehen (to stand)

present subjunctive

ich half
du halfst
er, sie, es half
wir halfen
ihr halft
sie halfen
Sie halfen

ich hlfe
du hlfest
er, sie, es hlfe
wir hlfen
ihr hlfet
sie hlfen
Sie hlfen

imperfect
ich stand
du standst
er, sie, es stand
wir standen
ihr standet
sie standen
Sie standen

sterben (to die)

imperfect

ich stnde
du stndest
er, sie, es stnde
wir stnden
ihr stndet
sie stnden
Sie stnden

werfen (to throw)

present subjunctive

ich starb
du starbst
er, sie, es starb
wir starben
ihr starbt
sie starben
Sie starben

present subjunctive

ich strbe
du strbest
er, sie, es strbe
wir strben
ihr strbet
sie strben
Sie strben

imperfect
ich warf
du warfst
er, sie, es warf
wir warfen
ihr warfet
sie warfen
Sie warfen

present subjunctive
ich wrfe
du wrfest
er, sie, es wrfe
wir wrfen
ihr wrfet
sie wrfen
Sie wrfen

The present subjunctive of sein (to be) and haben (to have) are based on the imperfect
form. They are as follows:
sein (to be)
imperfect
ich war
du warst
er, sie, es war
wir waren
ihr wart
sie waren
Sie waren

haben (to have)

present subjunctive
ich wre
du wrest
er, sie, es wre
wir wren
ihr wret
sie wren
Sie wren

imperfect
ich hatte
du hattest
er, sie, es hatte
wir hatten
ihr hattet
sie hatten
Sie hatten

present subjunctive
ich htte
du httest
er, sie, es htte
wir htten
ihr httet
sie htten
Sie htten

The present subjunctive of modal auxiliary verbs is based on the imperfect form. The
present subjunctive of sollen (to be obliged) and wollen (to want) is the same as the
imperfect tense: ich sollte, ich wollte, du sollte, du wollte, etc. The present subjunctive
of those modal verbs with umlauts in their infinitives and lose them in the imperfect
tense (drfen, knnen, mgen, and mssen) re-acquire their umlauts in the present
subjunctive.
Modal Verbs

sollen (to be obliged to)

imperfect

wollen (to want)

present subjunctive

ich sollte
du solltest
er, sie, es sollte
wir sollten
ihr solltet
sie sollten
Sie sollten

ich sollte
du solltest
er, sie, es sollte
wir sollten
ihr solltet
sie sollten
Sie sollten

imperfect
ich wollte
du wolltest
er, sie, es wollte
wir wollten
ihr wolltet
sie wollten
Sie wollten

drfen (to be allowed to)

imperfect

ich drfte
du drftest
er, sie, es drfe
wir drfen
ihr drfet
sie drfen
Sie drfen

imperfect

mssen (to have to)

present subjunctive

ich mochte
du mochtest
er, sie, mochte
wir mochten
ihr mochtet
sie mochten
Sie mochten

present subjunctive

ich konnte
ich knnte
du konntest
du knntest
er, sie, es konnte er, sie, es knnte
wir knnten
wir konnten
ihr knntet
ihr konntet
sie knnten
sie konnten
Sie knnten
Sie konnten

mgen (to be like to)

imperfect

ich wollte
du wolltest
er, sie, es wollte
wir wollten
ihr wolltet
sie wollten
Sie wollten

knnen (to be able to)

present subjunctive

ich durfte
du durftest
er, sie, es durfte
wir durften
ihr durftet
sie durften
Sie durften

present subjunctive

ich mchte
du mchtest
er, sie, es mchte
wir mchten
ihr mchtet
sie mchten
Sie mchten

imperfect
ich mute
du mutest
er, sie, es mute
wir muten
ihr mutet
sie muten
Sie muten

present subjunctive
ich mte
du mtest
er, sie, es mte
wir mten
ihr mtet
sie mten
Sie mten

Although the present subjunctive resembles the imperfect indicative, it always refers
to the future. The German present subjunctive corresponds to the English present
conditional would plus infinitive (if you would run) or the English present subjunctive
(if you ran), depending on use. The present conditional if often substituted for the
present subjunctive in German just as it is in English. Observe the following
examples:
Subjunctive and Conditional of Weak Verbs
present subjunctive

English

ich weinte.
wir spielten.
sie holten es.
er glaubte es nicht.
Kinder, lerntet ihr?
Gretel, kauftest du
Blumen?
Frau Holle, wohnten Sie

I would cry.
we would play.
they would get it.
he would not believe it.
children, would you study?
Gretel, would you buy
flowers.
Mrs. Holle, would you live

present conditional
ich wrde weinen.
wir wrden spielen.
sie wrde es holen .
er wrde es glauben.
Kinder, wrde ihr lernen?
Gretel, wrde du Blumen
kaufen?
Frau Holle, wrden Sie dort

dort?

here?

wohnen?

Subjunctive and Conditional of Irregular Weak Verbs

present subjunctive
das Haus brennte.
dchtet ihr daran?
ich brchte etwas.
nenntest du es?
sie rennten schnell.
wir wten es.
ich sendete den Brief.
ich wendete das Blatt.
ich wte das.
brchtest du das Buch?

English
the house would burn.
would you think about it?
I would bring something.
would you name it?
they would run quickly.
we would know it.
I would send the letter.
I would turn the page.
I would know that.
would you bring the book?

present conditional
das Haus wrde brennen.
wrdet ihr daran denken?
ich wrde etwas bringen.
wrde du es nehmen?
sie wrden schnell rennen.
wir wrden es wissen.
ich wrde den Brief senden.
wir wrden das Blatt wenden.
ich wrde das wissen.
wrdest du das Buch bringen.

Subjunctive and Conditional of Strong Verbs

present subjunctive
wir flgen nach Berlin.
ich schriebe den Brief.
sie fhre das Auto.
er verlre das Geld.
wir liefen schnell.
sie en Kuchen.
ich gbe Sie alles.
ich liee sie gehen.
lsen Sie das Buch?
ich kme spt.
ich schnitte mir das
Haar.
nhmest du das Geld?

English

present conditional

we would fly to Berlin.

wir wrden nach Berlin
I would write the letter.
fliegen.
she would drive the car.
ich wrde den Brief schreiben.
he would lose the money. sie wrde das Auto fuhren.
we would run quickly.
er wrde das Geld verlieren.
they would eat cake.
wir wrden schnell laufen.
I would give you
sie wrden Kuchen essen.
everything.
ich wrde Sie alles geben.
I would let her go.
ich wrde sie gehen lassen.
would you have read the wrden Sie das Buch lesen?
book?
ich wrde spt kommen.
I would come late.
ich wrde mir das Haar
I would cut my hair.
schneiden.
would you take the money? wrdest du das Geld nehmen?

Subjunctive and Conditional of Irregular Strong Verbs

present subjunctive
er hlfe.
Hans, hlfe du?
ich strbe.
Ein Kind wrfe einen
Stein.
ich stnde dort.

English

present conditional

he would help.
er wrde helfen.
Hans, would you help.
Hans, wrde du helfen?
I would die.
ich wrde sterben.
a child would throw a rock. ein Kind wrde einen Stein
I would stand there.
werfen.
ich wrde dort stehen.

The modal subjunctives are often used to express possibility or opinions, or to phrase
questions politely.
Subjunctive of Modal Verbs
present subjunctive

English

du solltest im Bett bleiben.

you should stay in bed.
mten Sie nicht arbeiten?
wouldn't you have to work?
ich mchte ein Glas Bier, bitte. I would like a glass of beer, please.

Drfte ich es sehen?

knnten Sie mir helfen?
met ihr nicht lernen?
knnten Sie es nicht holen?
drfte ich bleiben?
Drfte ich mitgehen?
wir mchten gehen.

could I see it?

could you help me?
don't you have to study?
couldn't you pick it up?
might I stay?
may I go along?
we would like to go.

Subjunctive of the auxiliaries haben (to have) and sein (to be)
sein
present subjunctive
ich wre reich.
du wrest nicht
glcklich.
er wre bse.
wrest du nicht
mde?
wren Sie dort?
wir wren krank.
wret ihr froh?

haben
English

present subjunctive

I would be rich.
Sie htten kein
you would not be Geld.
happy.
Httest du angst?
he would be angry. ich htte alles.
wouldn't you be
ich htte keinen
tired?
Hund.
would you be
du httest Ferien.
there?
wir htten kein
we would be sick. Auto.
would you be glad? er htte nichts.

English
you would have no
money.
would you be afraid?
I have everything.
I would have no dog.
you would a vacation.
we would have no
automobile.
he would have nothing.

The subjunctive is used for contrary-to-fact wishes:

Subjunctive with Contrary-to-fact Wishes
present subjunctive

English

ich wollte, ich wre dort.

ich wnsche, er wrde kommen.
ich wnsche, ich wre tot.
ich wollte, sie weinte nicht.
ich wollte, wir wren zu Hause.
ich wnsche, sie nhmen mich mit.
ich wollte, sie besuchten mich nicht.

I wish I was there.

I wish, he would come.
I wish I were dead.
I wish she wouldn't cry.
I wish we were home.
I wish, they would take me along.
I wish they wouldn't visit me.
I wish my wife were here.

ich wnsche, meine Frau wre hier.

Contrary-to-fact and conditional statements are often introduced with wenn (if):
Contrary-to-fact and Conditional Statements Introduce with wenn (if)
present subjunctive
wenn ich nur mehr Zeit htte!.
wenn er nur die Wahrheit sagte!
wenn du nur schwiegest!
wenn du nur hier wrest!
wenn sie nur mir glaubte!

English
If only I had more time!
If he would only tell the truth!
If you would only keep quiet!
If you were only hier!
If she only believed me!

Note: The above sentences can be written without wenn as simple exclamations:

Contrary-to-fact and Conditional Statements WITHOUT wenn (if)

present subjunctive
htte ich nur mehr Zeit!
sagte er nur die Wahrheit!
schwiegest du nur!
wrest du nur hier!
glaubte sie nur mir!

English
had I only more time.
would he only tell the truth!
would you only keep quiet!
were you only hier!
would she only believed me!

The subjunctive is used in clauses introduced by als ob (as if):

Clauses Introduced by als ob (as if)
present subjunctive

English

Sie tun, als ob Sie Zeit htte.

er spricht, als ob er der Chef wre.
Sie sehen aus, als ob Sie krank wren.
er sieht aus, als ob er ein Schwein htte.
er tut, als ob er reich wre.

you act as if you had time.

he talks as if he were the boss.
you look as if you were ill.
he looks as if he had struck oil.
he acts like he was rich.

Past subjunctive: The past subjunctive is made with the present subjunctive of haben
or sein plus the past participle of the verb. In this it resembles a perfect tense. It is
equivalent to the English past conditional would have plus a past participle ("I would
have run, we would have spent").
The past subjunctive is used with contrary-to-fact wishes, wenn (if) and other
contrary-to-fact conditional clauses, and als ob (as if) clauses referring to past time.
Past Subjunctive
past subjunctive

English

wenn Sie nur nicht da gewessen wren.

httest du nicht gesprochen.
er spricht, als ob er dort gewesen wre.
ich wnsche, Sie htten das nicht gesagt.

if only you had not been there.

had you not spoken
he talks as if he had been there.
I wish you would not have said that.
he act as if he would have bought it.

er tut, als ob er es gekauft htte.

The double infinitive construction is used when a modal auxiliary is used with an
infinitive in the past subjunctive. In other words, the infinitive of the modal is used
rather than its part participle. If a double infinitive construction is used in a wenn or
als ob clause, the auxiliary htte precedes the double infinitive:
Past Subjunctive of Modals and the Double Infinitive
past subjunctive
htte ich nur kommen knnen [double infinitive] .
httest du nur singen knnen [double infinitive] .
er tut, als ob er es htte kaufen knnen [double
infinitive] .

English
if only I could have come.
if you could only sing
he acts as if he could have
bought it.

wenn ich htte gehen wollen [double infinitive] ,

if I had wanted to go
htte ich es dir gesagt.
I would have told you so.
er tut, als ob er auf mich htte warten mssen [double he act as if he had to wait for
infinitive] .
me.
Indirect Discourse and the Special Subjunctive: German usually uses a subjunctive in
indirect discourse (implying some element of doubt as to the veracity of the
statement). The use of the subjunctive in indirect discourse is somewhat optional, but
you should be aware of its nuances and form.
An indirect quotation can be in the subjunctive (formed with the simple past stem), the
special subjunctive formed with the present stem, or simply in the indicative mood.
The special subjunctive is generally used in indirect discourse.
If the speaker is absolutely sure that the indirect discourse is true (say, quoting
some authority to substantiate his opinion), then he uses the indicative.
If the speaker wishes to express his own doubt as to the veracity of the indirect
quotation, than he uses the general subjunctive.
If the form of the special subjunctive is the same as the indicative (as with first
person singular and the plural of all verbs except sein), the general subjunctive
is substituted.
The special present subjunctive of both weak and strong verbs is formed by adding -e,
-est, -e, -en, -et, -en to the infinitive stem. In other words, no vowel changes. If the
umlaut is present in the infinitive, it stays. If none is present, none is added. The verb
haben is given as an illustration:
Special Subjunctive of the Verb haben (to have)
ich habe
du habest
er, sie, est habe

wir haben
ihr habet
sie haben
Sie haben

Naturally, the verb sein (to be) is somewhat irregular:

Special Subjunctive of the Verb sein (to be)
ich sei
du seiest
er, sie, est sei

wir seien
ihr seiet
sie seien
Sie seien

Some examples of the special present subjunctive used in indirect discourse follows:
Special Present Subjunctive and Indirect Discourse
indirect discourse
sie sagt, er sei in Deutschland.

English
she says that he is in Germany.

mein Bruder sagt, er gehe.

das Kind sagt, es lerne.
die Frau erklrt, sie wisse das schon.
sie sagt, sie msse ihn versorgen.

my brother says that he is going.

the child says that he is studying.
the woman explains that she knows that already.
she says that she must take care of him.

The past tense of the special subjunctive is formed with special present subjunctive of
sein or haben plus a past participle. See the following examples:
Special Past Subjunctive in Indirect Discourse
past subjunctive and indirect discourse

English

sie sagte, er sei in Deutschland gewesen.

mein Bruder sagt, er sei gegangen.
das Kind sagt, es habe gelernt.
die Frau erklrte, si habe das schon
gewut.
sie sagte, sie habe ihn versorgen
gemu&ssen.

she said that he was (had been) in Germany.

my brother says that he went.
the child says that he had studied.
the woman explained that she knew that
already.
she said that she had to take care of him.

The tense of the subjunctive in indirect discourse depends on the tense of the original
statement. The tense of the introductory verb has no effect on the tense of the indirect
discourse in German.
For a list of 170 most used Strong and Irregular German Verbs (with principle
components and Hypertext English Index click here.

Adverbs
Adverbs provide additional information to verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, or even
whole clauses. Adverbs typically express some relation of place, time, manner,
attendant circumstance, degree, cause, inference, result, condition, exception,
concession, purpose, means, or even negation. The German negative nicht is an
adverb.
In English, adverbs are often created by adding -ly to adjectives. German adjectives
are used as adverbs without inflection. As a result, the confusion between adverbs and
subject complements that sometimes occurs in English is less a problem in German.
German adverbs are only inflected to show comparison or superlative (he walks
faster/fastest). Once again, as with adjectives, do not use the adjective mehr (more) to
create adverbial comparisons in German.
Certain adverbs are much used in German. Short sentences containing the following
adverbs should be memorized:
Much Used Adverbs
nicht (not)
fast (almost)
gern(e) (gladly) noch (still)
sehr (very)
noch nicht (not yet)

auch (also)
nur (only)
ja (yes, indeed)
schon (already)

hier (here)
da (there)
dort (there)
genau (exactly)

Some of these adverbs need further explanation:

The negative nicht: Verbs are made negative with the adverb nicht. This adverb can
occur in various locations in the sentence, but it usually negates the entire statement.
nicht usually occurs in the last position in the statement except when the verb is sein.
For example:
ich wei nicht. (I don't know.).
er hrt die Musik nicht. (he doesn't hear the music.)
er kaufte seiner Frau den Peltzmantel [ihn ihr] nicht. (he didn't by his wife
[her] the furcoat [it].)
But;
er ist nicht krank. (he is not sick.)
Sie sind nicht mein Freund. (you are not my friend.)
Nicht precedes separable prefixes, past participles, dependent infinitives, double
infinitives, and adverbs of place or prepositional phrases.
er fuhr nicht ab. (he didn't leave.) {separable prefix}
er ist nicht abgefahren. (he has not left.) {past participle}
er wollte nicht abfahren. (he didn't want to leave.) {dependent infinitive}
er hat das Haus nicht verlassen wollen. (he didn't want to leave the house.)
{double infinitive}

er wohnt nicht dort. (he doesn't live there.) {adverb of place}

er war nicht zu Hause. (he wasn't at home.) {adverb of place}
and in dependent clause, nicht precedes the verb:
du weit wohl, da ich nicht arbeite. (you know very well that I don't work)
{verb in dependent clause} ich hoffe, da er uns nicht gesehen hat. (I hpe that he
didn't see us.) {verb in dependent clause}
Remember that transitive verbs with indefinite direct objects are not negated with
nicht. They are negated with the inflected adjective kein (no, none). In other words,
you do not say "I do not have an(any) automobile"; but rather ":I have no automobile."
(Ich habe kein Auto.).
The adverb gern (or optionally gerne) means "with pleasure, gladly." It is used in the
sense of "I like, he likes, etc." For example: ich schwimme gerne (I like swimming).
With the verb haben (to have) it means "fond of." and the subjunctive htte gern,
means "would like." Ich htte gern Tee (I would like tea). The irregular comparison of
gern is lieber and the superlative is am libsten. See the following example:

ich trinke gern Tee aber ich trinke lieber Kaffee. Ich trinke am liebsten Bier. (I like [to
drink] tea but I prefer [to drink] coffee. I like best of all [to drink) beer.)
The adverb sehr (very, very much) precedes an adjective or another adverb to express
a high degree of a certain quality. Although it is frequently used with other adverbs,
adjectives, or adjective phrases, but it can stand alone as an adverb. Here are some
examples of its use:
sie ist sehr schn. (she is very beautiful [subject complement in English].)
sie singt sehr schn. (she sings very beautifully.)
ich gehe sehr gern. (I am going very willingly.)
ich habe sehr viele Probleme. (I have very many problems.)
er ist zu sehr verbittert, um ... (he is too much embittered, to ...)
er war mit seiner Zahlung sehr im Rckstand. (he was very much behind in his
count.)
er hat sich sehr angestrengt. (he exerted himself greatly.)
Sehr forms such adverbial phrases as: wie sehr auch (however much), sehr zu viel
(much too much).
Then there are polite phrases such as: Bitte sehr (you're are very welcome) and Sehr
angenehm (very pleasant [pleased to meet you].)
Auch (also, too, even, likewise) is used as a simple adverb: ich bin auch krank. (I am
also sick). With wer, wie, was, welcher, etc.) it can mean "who else, how else, what
else, which else, etc." or "whosoever else, etc." In the expression : wer es auch sei it
means "whosoever else it might be."
Da and dort: Both mean "there" and are used almost completely interchangeably.
As mentioned above, adverbs fall into various categories.
Adverbs of Time
abends (evening)
bald (soon)
damals (at that time)
dann (then, thereupon)
erst (not until)
frh (early)
gestern (yesterday)
[so]gleich (immediately)
heute (today)
immer (always)
jetzt (now)
manchmal (sometimes)
morgen (tomorrow)
morgens (in the morning, mornings)

nachmittags (in the afternoon)

nachts (at night)
nie (never)
nimmer (never)
noch (still)
nun (now)
oft (often)
schon (already)
selten (seldom)
sofort (immediately)
spt (late)
tglich (daily)
bermorgen (day after tomorrow)
vorgestern (day before yesterday)

Adverbs of Manner and Attitude

doch (indeed)
fliesend (flowingly)
frhlich (happily)
gern(e) (gladly)
gewi (certainly)
glcklich (luckily)
hoffentlich (hopefully)
kaum (hardly)
langsam (slowly)
leicht (easily)
leider (unfortunately)
leise (gently, softly)

natrlich (naturally)
pnktlich (punctually, promptly)
schn (beautifully)
sicher (certainly)
sicherlich (certainly)
so (so, thus)
schnell (quickly)
unterschiedlich (differently)
vielleicht (perhaps, may be)
wirklich (truly)
ziemlich (somewhat)
zu (too)

Adverbs of Place
da (there)
dort (there)
drauen (outside)
drinnen (inside)
drben (over there)
entlang (along)
fern (distant, far)
heraus (out of [toward speaker])
hier (here)
hinaus (out of [away from speaker])
hinten (behind)
irgendwo (somewhere)

links (left)
nahe (near)
nirgends (nowhere)
oben (above, upstairs)
rechts (right)
berall (everywhere)
unten (below, downstairs)
voran (before, in front)
weit (far, widely)
weg (away)
zurck (back)
zusammen (together)

Adverbs in German usually follow the nouns, pronouns and verbs. The order of
precedence is time, manner, place. Negation (nicht) precedes the adverb of place but it
can be moved to negate a particular adverb. There is some freedom to relocate adverbs
for emphasis. Observe the following sentences:
er arbeitet abends [time] wirklich [manner] nicht [negation] hier [place]. (he doesn't work
here evenings.)
er besucht uns tglich leider nicht dort. (unfortunately he doesn't visit us there daily.)
leider bin ich morgens nicht da. (unfortunately I am not there mornings.) but:
morgens bin ich leider nicht da. (unfortunately I am not there mornings.)
Idioms: German use a number of adverbs (and conjunctions) as "filler words." These
words are hard to translated because they convey feeling or attitude expressed in
English by tone of voice.
Dock: When this adverb is stresses it implies that that something is true despite
expectations to the contrary. It is used in place of ja (yes) to answer negative questions
affirmatively:
Kommst du nicht? (Aren't you coming?)
Doch, ich komme. (Yes, I'm coming.)
Du trinkst kein Bier, nicht wahr? (You don't drink beer, do you?)
Doch! (Sure [I do.])

When doch is unstressed, it implies that the opposite is not expected to be true. In an
imperative construction doch means "why don't you ...":
Du bist doch nicht krank. (You're not sick, are you?)
Doch, ich fhle mich nicht wohl (I am, I don't feel well.)
Nimm doch eine Tablette! (Take a pill, why don't you?)
The adverb ja normally means simply "yes." As a filler word when emphasize, it
emphasizes the verb. See the following examples:
Nimm dich ja in acht! (sure to take care of yourself.)
Geh ja nicht dahin! (do not go there any account.)
Das mut du ja tun. (you must do that without fail.)
Da du es ja nicht wieder tust. (mind that you don't do that again.)
Sei doch ja bitte so nett! (would you [please] really be so good.)
When ja is used in a clause without emphasis it reinforces an observation:
er ist ja mein Freund. (he is my friend, after all.)
sie ist ja verrckt. (why, she's crazy.)
ich war ja krank. (I was sick, after all/you know.)
wenn er ja kommt. (if he indeed comes.)
ich gebe mir ja Mhe. (I really do take pains.)
The adverb noch means "still" or "yet."
ich bin noch krank. (I'm still sick.)
wir haben noch Zeit. (we still have time.)
Wir haben Zeit noch und noch. (We've got plenty of time.)
Frequently noch means "another." as in wir wollen noch ein Kind. (we want another
child.) or mchten Sie noch ein Glas Bier? (do you want another glass of bier?)
In the sense of "another" noch combines with other adverbs:
noch dazu (in addition, moreover)
noch einer (still another, one more)
noch einmal (once more, once again)
noch eins/etwas (one final point)
noch etwas? (is there anything else?)
and in another sense:
noch so (ever so)
sei es noch so wichtig (be it ever so important)
The word denn, usually a conjunction, is used as a verbal intensifier to express curiosity,
annoyance, or impatience:
wo ist er denn? ("I wonder where he could be" or "well, where is he?")
wie heit dein Freund denn? (Tell me, what's your friend's name?)

Wann essen wir denn? (when do we eat, anyway?)

was ist denn los? (well, what's the matter?)