Regular verbs conjugation in the present tense
In German, regular verb conjugation in the present tense involves adding different endings to the stem of the verb, depending on the subject pronoun. The stem of the verb remains unchanged throughout the conjugation. Here is the conjugation of a regular verb, "lernen" (to learn), in the present tense:
| Subject Pronoun | Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Ich | Ich lerne | I learn |
| Du | Du lernst | You learn (singular, informal) |
| Er/Sie/Es | Er/Sie/Es lernt | He/She/It learns |
| Wir | Wir lernen | We learn |
| Ihr | Ihr lernt | You learn (plural, informal) |
| Sie | Sie lernen | They learn (formal and informal) |
As you can see, the endings added to the stem are "-e" for the first person singular (ich), "-st" for the second person singular (du), "-t" for the third person singular (er/sie/es), "-en" for the first person plural (wir), "-t" for the second person plural (ihr), and "-en" for the third person plural (sie, both formal and informal).
It's important to note that there are also irregular verbs in German, which do not follow this pattern of regular verb conjugation in the present tense. These verbs have their own unique conjugation patterns that must be memorized.
Few more examples:
| Subject Pronoun | Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Ich | Ich spiele | I play |
| Du | Du spielst | You play (singular, informal) |
| Er/Sie/Es | Er/Sie/Es spielt | He/She/It plays |
| Wir | Wir spielen | We play |
| Ihr | Ihr spielt | You play (plural, informal) |
| Sie | Sie spielen | They play (formal and informal) |
| Subject Pronoun | Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Ich | Ich kaufe | I buy |
| Du | Du kaufst | You buy (singular, informal) |
| Er/Sie/Es | Er/Sie/Es kauft | He/She/It buys |
| Wir | Wir kaufen | We buy |
| Ihr | Ihr kauft | You buy (plural, informal) |
| Sie | Sie kaufen | They buy (formal and informal) |