Thirteen Indispensable German Verbs
Conjugations of Frequently-Used Verbs and How to Use Them
Knowing how to use these verbs in sentences will improve your German-speaking abilities and help you grow your vocabulary. Whether you're just starting out or are looking for a bit of a refresher, check out this list and learn more about these basic building blocks.
First, Make Sure You Know the Pronouns
If you want to begin conjugating German verbs in the present tense, you have to know the German pronouns. Note that "it" has three different possibilities, depending on the gender of the word (which you don't need to worry about right now; it does not affect verb conjugation).
- I = ich
- you (informal) = du
- he = er
- she = sie
- it (neutral) = es
- we = wir
- you (informal plural; i.e. "y'all" or "you guys") = ihr
- they = sie
- you (formal, both singular and plural) = Sie (remember the capitalization!)
Basic German Verbs
These verbs are used very often:
- sein, meaning "to be." The verb is conjugated as follows: Ich bin, du bist, er/sie/es ist, wir sind, ihr seid, sie/Sie sind.
- haben, meaning "to have": ich habe, du hast, er/sie/es hat, wir haben, ihr habt, sie/Sie haben.
- werden, meaning "to become" or as the helping verb "will" for the future tense: ich werde, du wirst, er/sie/es wird, wir werden, ihr werdet, sie/Sie werden
So, just to clarify the use of werden in the future tense, if you were to say "I will have" in German, you would say "Ich werde haben." It's possible to avoid overuse of "werden" by injecting time in the future to your sentences. So instead of saying "Ich werde sein..." you can say "Ich bin morgen..." to indicate that morgen (tomorrow) you "will be," automatically putting your sentence in the future tense without using werden.
Modal Verbs
These are the verbs for expressing opinion, mood, ideas, etc. Notice that with the verb "müssen," some conjugated forms have the Umlaut (two dots) over the "u" while others do not.
- wollen, "to want": ich will, du willst, er/sie/es will, wir wollen, ihr wollt, sie/Sie wollen
- sollen, "should": ich soll, du sollst, er/sie/es soll, wir sollen, ihr sollt, sie/Sie sollen
- müssen, "to have to": ich muss, du musst, er/sie/es muss, wir müssen, ihr müsst, sie/Sie müssen
- dürfen, "to be allowed to/may": ich darf, du darfst, er/sie/es darf, wir dürfen, ihr dürft, sie/Sie dürfen
- können, "to be able to/can": ich kann, du kannst, er/sie/es kann, wir können, ihr könnt, sie/Sie können
Note the distinction between "dürfen" and "können." While many English speakers do not distinguish "can" and "may," German speakers do, so remember to use each appropriately.
The word mögen ("to like") is a funny modal verb, because it is often used in the subjunctive form, "I would like." Here are both conjugations.
- Normal: ich mag, du magst, er/sie/es magt, wir mögen, ihr mögt, sie/Sie mögen
- Subjunctive: ich möchte, du möchtest, er/sie/es möchtet, wir möchten, ihr möchtet, sie/Sie möchten
The normal conjugation is used mostly in sentences like, "Ich mag Schokolade." ("I like chocolate.") Important: Do not use this form to describe activities, i.e. "I like running," as there is a separate term for that. The subjunctive is used to form polite demands or to express wishes.
Other Verbs Used All the Time
Sometimes, students of German write or say these verbs so often, they don't even realize they're using them! Here are the verbs, along with some vocabulary-building synonyms:
- glauben (to believe): ich glaube, du glaubst, er/sie/es glaubt, wir glauben, ihr glaubt, sie/Sie glauben. SYNONYMS: denken (to think), meinen (to have an opinion about/to think)
- gehen (to go): ich gehe, du gehst, er/sie/es geht, wir gehen, ihr geht, sie/Sie gehen. SYNONYMS: fahren (to drive), reisen (to travel), laufen (to walk, to run)
- sehen (to see): ich sehe, du siehst, er/sie/es sieht, wir sehen, ihr seht, sie/Sie sehen. SYNONYMS: schauen (to look at), blicken (to glimpse, to see), angucken (to look at)
- sagen (to say): ich sage, du sagst, er/sie/es sagt, wir sagen, ihr sagt, sie/Sie sagen. SYNONYMS: sprechen (to speak), reden (to speak, to chat)
Hopefully, by now you've noticed a pattern here with some of the endings. On regular verbs, the stem does not change. Gehen is a regular verb; notice "geh-" remains the same throughout the conjugation.
Learning to use pronouns, basic German verbs, modal verbs,and commonly used verbs and their synonyms, will get you started on the road to becoming a better German speaker.
