Master the German Present Tense: Full Guide

The German present tense (Präsens) is the tense you learn first and use most. It talks about habits and routines, general truths, what is happening right now, and fixed plans for the near future. One tense does all of that, which is why getting its forms right matters more than any other tense. This guide gives you the full formation rules for regular weak verbs, the vowel changes in strong verbs, separable and inseparable prefixes, the irregular verbs and modals that break the pattern, the usage rules with examples, the contrast with the neighbouring tenses, the mistakes learners make, and a quiz to check yourself. All forms come from VerbFlow's verified conjugation tables.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for German verbs, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present tense is formed

Take the infinitive, remove the -en ending, and add the present endings -e, -st, -t, -en, -t, -en. For most weak (regular) verbs that is the whole rule: the stem never changes, and the same six endings work for every verb. Here is the model verb machen:

machen (weak verb)

Person machen
ich mache
du machst
er/sie/es macht
wir machen
ihr macht
sie/Sie machen

Present participle: machend. Past participle: gemacht.

The endings are the same for lernen, spielen, wohnen, kaufen and sagen: ich lerne, du lernst, er lernt, wir lernen, ihr lernt, sie lernen. Learn the six endings once and you can conjugate hundreds of weak verbs.

Stems ending in -t or -d take an extra -e-

When the stem ends in -t or -d, German inserts an -e- before the ending so the form stays pronounceable. arbeiten is the classic example:

arbeiten (stem ends in -t)

Person arbeiten
ich arbeite
du arbeitest
er/sie/es arbeitet
wir arbeiten
ihr arbeitet
sie/Sie arbeiten

Present participle: arbeitend. Past participle: gearbeitet.

Without the extra -e-, the du form would be unpronounceable, so German writes arbeitest and arbeitet, never a form without the vowel. The same rule applies to antworten (du antwortest), finden (du findest), warten (du wartest) and reden (du redest). Stems ending in -s, -ß, -x or -z drop the -s- of the du ending: reisen gives du reist, not a doubled -s- form.

Strong verbs and vowel changes in the present tense

Strong verbs change their stem vowel in the du and er/sie/es forms of the present tense. The wir, ihr and sie forms keep the infinitive vowel, so the change only ever affects the second and third person singular. sprechen shows the pattern:

sprechen (strong verb, e to i)

Person sprechen
ich spreche
du sprichst
er/sie/es spricht
wir sprechen
ihr sprecht
sie/Sie sprechen

Present participle: sprechend. Past participle: gesprochen.

The vowel changes follow a small set of patterns, and the verbs below cover almost every one you will meet. For the complete tables, see each verb's conjugation page.

e becomes i: sprechen (du sprichst, er spricht), geben (du gibst, er gibt), sehen is e to ie (du siehst, er sieht), nehmen (du nimmst, er nimmt), helfen (du hilfst, er hilft), essen (du isst, er isst), treffen (du triffst, er trifft), vergessen (du vergisst, er vergisst) and waschen (du wäschst, er wäscht).

e becomes ie: lesen (du liest, er liest) and sehen (du siehst, er sieht). The ie is a long vowel, and it appears only in the du and er/sie/es forms: wir lesen, ihr lest.

a becomes ä: fahren (du fährst, er fährt), schlafen (du schläfst, er schläft), tragen (du trägst, er trägt) and wachsen (du wächst, er wächst).

au becomes äu: laufen (du läufst, er läuft).

The wir and ihr forms never change: wir sprechen, ihr sprecht; wir fahren, ihr fahrt; wir laufen, ihr lauft. If you remember the du form, you know the er/sie/es form too — they always change together. Learn the three principal forms of a strong verb (infinitive, du present, preterite) and the rest follows.

Separable and inseparable prefixes

German verbs with prefixes split into two groups, and the present tense shows the difference immediately.

Separable prefixes move to the end of the sentence. anrufen gives ich rufe an, du rufst an, er ruft an: the prefix an goes last. aufstehen gives ich stehe auf, du stehst auf, er steht auf. The prefix is stressed and written as a separate word at the end of the clause. In a question the same thing happens: "Stehst du früh auf?" — the verb stays in second position and the prefix stays at the end.

Inseparable prefixes never move. bekommen gives ich bekomme, du bekommst, er bekommt: the prefix be- stays attached to the verb. The same is true of verstehen (ich verstehe), besuchen (ich besuche) and erzählen (ich erzähle). The prefixes be-, ver-, be- in besuchen, er- and ent- are inseparable, and the verb behaves like a normal verb with its prefix attached. The full tables on each verb's page show the answer: anrufen conjugation, aufstehen conjugation, bekommen conjugation.

Irregular verbs in the present tense

Most German verbs are regular in the present, but the most frequent verbs are not — and those are the ones you use every day. The patterns below cover almost every irregular present you will meet. For the complete list, see the German irregular verbs page.

sein (to be)

Person sein
ich bin
du bist
er/sie/es ist
wir sind
ihr seid
sie/Sie sind

Present participle: seiend. Past participle: gewesen.

haben (to have)

Person haben
ich habe
du hast
er/sie/es hat
wir haben
ihr habt
sie/Sie haben

Present participle: habend. Past participle: gehabt.

werden (to become)

Person werden
ich werde
du wirst
er/sie/es wird
wir werden
ihr werdet
sie/Sie werden

Present participle: werdend. Past participle: geworden.

These three have to be learnt whole — no rule produces them. sein is the verb of identity and description (ich bin Lehrer — I am a teacher), haben is the verb of possession and age (ich habe zwanzig Jahre — I am twenty years old), and werden means to become and also builds the future (ich werde Lehrer — I am becoming a teacher).

The modal verbs: können (ich kann, du kannst, er kann, wir können, ihr könnt, sie können), müssen (ich muss, du musst, er muss, wir müssen, ihr müsst, sie müssen), sollen (ich soll, du sollst, er soll, wir sollen, ihr sollt, sie sollen), wollen (ich will, du willst, er will, wir wollen, ihr wollt, sie wollen), dürfen (ich darf, du darfst, er darf, wir dürfen, ihr dürft, sie dürfen) and mögen (ich mag, du magst, er mag, wir mögen, ihr mögt, sie mögen). The modals lose the umlaut in the singular and take no ending in the ich and er/sie/es forms: ich kann, er kann. They always come with a second verb in the infinitive at the end of the sentence: "Ich kann Deutsch spreche." is wrong — the correct order is "Ich kann Deutsch sprechen." The modal takes second position and the infinitive goes last. Modals have no imperative in the verified tables, so there is no du command form for können or müssen.

Wissen: wissen (ich weiß, du weißt, er weiß, wir wissen, ihr wisst, sie wissen) behaves like a modal in the singular — ich weiß, er weiß — with no ending and a changed stem vowel, but it takes a normal plural. gehen (ich gehe, du gehst, er geht) and kommen (ich komme, du kommst, er kommt) are regular in the present, which surprises learners because they are irregular in the Präteritum and Perfekt.

When to use the present tense

1. Habits and routines

"Ich lerne jeden Tag Deutsch." — I learn German every day. Use the present for things you do regularly, with time words like jeden Tag, immer, oft, jede Woche. "Wir spielen jeden Sonntag Fußball." — We play football every Sunday. "Er arbeitet jeden Tag." — He works every day.

2. General truths and facts

"Berlin ist die Hauptstadt von Deutschland." — Berlin is the capital of Germany. Use the present for things that are always true, including facts and definitions. "Wasser kocht bei 100 Grad." — Water boils at 100 degrees. "Hunde lieben laufen." — Dogs love running.

3. What is happening right now

"Ich lese gerade ein Buch." — I am reading a book right now. The present covers the current moment; German often uses the simple present where English uses the progressive. "Du hörst Radio." — You are listening to the radio. "Wir warten auf den Bus." — We are waiting for the bus.

4. Fixed plans and the near future

"Ich fahre morgen nach Berlin." — I am going to Berlin tomorrow. Use the present for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression. "Wir kommen morgen um acht Uhr." — We are coming tomorrow at eight o'clock. "Sie fliegen im Sommer nach Spanien." — They are flying to Spain in the summer.

5. Instructions and directions

"Du nimmst die zweite Straße links." — You take the second street on the left. The present gives directions and instructions in everyday speech. "Sie gehen geradeaus." — You go straight ahead. "Ihr nehmt den Bus Nummer fünf." — You take bus number five.

Present vs Perfekt

The present is for habits, truths and what is happening now; the Perfekt is for one finished action in the past. Compare: "Ich lerne Deutsch jeden Tag." (a habit — present) with "Ich habe gelernt." (one finished learning event — Perfekt). And "Ich fahre morgen nach Berlin." (a fixed plan — present) with "Ich bin gefahren." (a completed trip — Perfekt). The time words are your best clue: jeden Tag points to the present, gestern points to the Perfekt. For the full forms, see the German Perfekt tense guide and lernen conjugation.

Present vs Präteritum

The present is for what is true now; the Präteritum is for what used to be true, or for narration in the past. Compare: "Ich wohne in Berlin." (a fact about me now) with "Ich wohnte früher in Hamburg." (a fact about my past). And "Ich arbeite in München." (right now) with "Ich arbeitete früher in Köln." (a past job). If the action is finished and dated, use the Perfekt; if it belongs to written narration, use the Präteritum; if it is true now, use the present. For the full forms, see the German Präteritum tense guide and wohnen conjugation.

Present vs Futur I

The present is for what is true now or already fixed; the Futur I is for what will happen and is not yet certain. Compare: "Ich komme morgen." (my plan is fixed — present) with "Ich werde morgen kommen." (a prediction or a promise — Futur I). And "Wir fliegen im Sommer nach Spanien." (a plan already made) with "Wir werden im Sommer nach Spanien fliegen." If the plan is already decided and you give a time, the present is the natural choice; for predictions and promises, use the Futur I. For the full forms, see kommen conjugation and fliegen conjugation.

Common mistakes in the present tense

Mistake 1

Wrong: Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form: "Ich lernen Deutsch."

Every subject needs its own form: ich lerne, du lernst, er lernt. The infinitive never works as a finite verb in a main clause. Say the six forms in order — ich, du, er, wir, ihr, sie — until each subject brings its own ending with it.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Forgetting the vowel change: "Du sprechst Deutsch." or "Er fahrt nach Berlin."

Strong verbs change their vowel in the du and er/sie/es forms: du sprichst, er spricht; du fährst, er fährt. The wir and ihr forms keep the infinitive vowel — wir sprechen, ihr sprecht — so learn the du form first and the er/sie/es form comes free.

Mistake 3

Wrong: Keeping a separable prefix attached to the verb: "Ich anrufe dich morgen."

Separable prefixes go to the end of the clause: "Ich rufe dich morgen an." The same rule gives "Ich stehe um sieben Uhr auf." Inseparable prefixes stay attached — ich bekomme, ich verstehe — so check whether the prefix separates before you build the sentence.

Mistake 4

Wrong: Putting the infinitive in the wrong place after a modal: "Ich muss gehen nach Hause."

After a modal the infinitive goes to the end: "Ich muss nach Hause gehen." The modal takes second position and the infinitive closes the sentence. The same order gives "Ich kann gut schwimmen." and "Du sollst mehr lernen."

Quiz: the present tense

Eight questions on the present tense. Answers with explanations follow each question.

1. What is the ich form of machen in the present tense?

  • A) mache
  • B) machst
  • C) machen
  • D) machen

Answer: A — The ich form in the present tense is mache.

2. What is the du form of sprechen in the present tense?

  • A) spreche
  • B) sprichst
  • C) sprechen
  • D) sprechen

Answer: B — The du form in the present tense is sprichst (e becomes i).

3. What is the er/sie/es form of lesen in the present tense?

  • A) lese
  • B) liest
  • C) liest
  • D) lesen

Answer: C — The er/sie/es form in the present tense is liest (e becomes ie).

4. What is the ich form of sein in the present tense?

  • A) bin
  • B) bist
  • C) ist
  • D) sind

Answer: A — The ich form in the present tense is bin.

5. What is the ich form of können in the present tense?

  • A) kann
  • B) kannst
  • C) können
  • D) können

Answer: A — The ich form in the present tense is kann (no ending in the singular).

6. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Ich anrufe dich morgen.
  • B) Ich rufe dich morgen an.

Answer: B — The separable prefix goes to the end of the clause.

7. What is the du form of fahren in the present tense?

  • A) fahre
  • B) fährst
  • C) fahren
  • D) fahren

Answer: B — The du form in the present tense is fährst (a becomes ä).

8. What is the wir form of arbeiten in the present tense?

  • A) arbeite
  • B) arbeitest
  • C) arbeiten
  • D) arbeitet

Answer: C — The wir form in the present tense is arbeiten.

Frequently asked questions

What is the German present tense used for?

Habits and routines, general truths, what is happening now, and fixed plans for the near future. It is the most used tense in the language, and the first one to learn.

Are the present endings the same for all verbs?

The endings are the same for weak verbs: -e, -st, -t, -en, -t, -en. Strong verbs add a vowel change in the du and er/sie/es forms, and the most frequent verbs — sein, haben, werden and the modals — have their own forms. Stems ending in -t or -d take an extra -e-, as in arbeitest.

Which verbs are irregular in the present?

The most frequent ones: sein, haben, werden, können, müssen, sollen, wollen, dürfen, mögen and wissen, plus the strong verbs with vowel changes such as sprechen, lesen, fahren, geben, sehen and nehmen. The full list is on the German irregular verbs page.

When do I use the present for the future?

When the plan is already fixed and you give a time: ich fahre morgen nach Berlin, wir kommen morgen um acht Uhr. For predictions and promises, use the Futur I: ich werde morgen kommen.

How do I practise the present tense?

Conjugate one verb a day in all six persons, in sentences, not as a bare list. Then use the Present Tense Conjugator and the Verb Quiz to test yourself.

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