Machen in the Present (Präsens) Tense in German
Introduction
Machen means “to make, to do”, and this page covers exactly one thing: machen in the present tense. The present is the tense German speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for machen, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about machen in the present. For example: “Ich mache die Hausaufgaben heute Abend.” — “I do the homework this evening.” Everything on this page uses the forms of machen exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.
Machen in the Present (Präsens) Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | mache |
| du | machst |
| er/sie/es | macht |
| wir | machen |
| ihr | macht |
| sie/Sie | machen |
Present participle: machend · Past participle: gemacht
The present participle is machend, which you use as an adjective for an ongoing action. The past participle is gemacht, which you use with haben in the perfect tenses: the ich form of the Perfekt is habe gemacht, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how machen is used.
How the present of machen is formed
The present of machen follows the regular weak pattern: take the stem and add the present endings, giving ich mache, du machst, er/sie/es macht, wir machen, ihr macht, sie/Sie machen. The wir and ihr forms are the ones learners most often get wrong, because they expect a change that is not there — learn the six forms as two groups, the singular forms and the plural forms, and the pattern becomes automatic. The stem never changes in the present for this verb, so the only work is the endings.
The present stem also feeds other tenses: the preterite and Konjunktiv II are built from the same stem family, so learning the present properly makes the rest of the conjugation easier. The participles machend and gemacht belong to the same family of forms — learn them together with the present table and you will recognise machen in every tense.
When to use the present of machen
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use machen in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. To do the homework this evening — the everyday use
The most everyday use of machen is the homework this evening. It covers the ordinary, everyday situations where this verb appears, at home and outside. Example: “Ich mache die Hausaufgaben heute Abend.” — “I do the homework this evening.”
2. To do a walk in the park — a second everyday use
Machen also covers a walk in the park. This use is very common in everyday speech, and it is the one learners meet next after the first. Example: “Du machst einen Spaziergang im Park.” — “You do a walk in the park.”
3. To do the cooking every day — a third everyday use
In a third everyday situation, you use machen for the cooking every day. The same verb, the same present forms, a different situation — that is why the present is worth learning as a whole table rather than one form at a time. Example: “Er macht das Essen jeden Tag.” — “He does the cooking every day.”
4. Habits and routines
The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and machen is no exception. Use time expressions such as jeden Tag, immer or jede Woche to make the routine explicit. Example: “Wir machen die Hausaufgaben heute Abend.” — “We do the homework this evening.”
5. What is happening right now
The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. German often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with machen in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Ihr macht einen Spaziergang im Park.” — “You do a walk in the park.”
Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the preterite describes a finished action in the past, while the present describes habits and facts that are true now. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as jeden Tag, while the preterite sentences use gestern. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.
Present (Präsens): “Ich mache die Hausaufgaben heute Abend.” — “I do the homework this evening.”
Preterite: “Ich machte die Hausaufgaben heute Abend.” — “I did the homework this evening.”
The present sentence is about the present moment or a routine; the preterite sentence is about one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present (Präsens): “Du machst einen Spaziergang im Park.” — “You do a walk in the park.”
Preterite: “Du machtest einen Spaziergang im Park.” — “You did a walk in the park.”
The present sentence is about the present moment or a routine; the preterite sentence is about one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present (Präsens): “Wir machen das Essen jeden Tag.” — “We do the cooking every day.”
Preterite: “Wir machten das Essen jeden Tag.” — “We did the cooking every day.”
The present sentence is about the present moment or a routine; the preterite sentence is about one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: machen in the present
Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other words — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.
“Ich mache einen Spaziergang im Park.” — “I do a walk in the park.”
“Du machst das Essen jeden Tag.” — “You do the cooking every day.”
“Er macht die Hausaufgaben heute Abend.” — “He does the homework this evening.”
“Wir machen einen Spaziergang im Park.” — “We do a walk in the park.”
“Ihr macht das Essen jeden Tag.” — “You do the cooking every day.”
“Sie machen die Hausaufgaben heute Abend.” — “They do the homework this evening.”
“Ich mache einen Spaziergang im Park.” — “I do a walk in the park.”
“Du machst das Essen jeden Tag.” — “You do the cooking every day.”
Common mistakes with machen in the present
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Ich machen die Hausaufgaben heute Abend.” Right: “Ich mache die Hausaufgaben heute Abend.” Why: The ich form is mache, not machen. Machen belongs with sie. Mixing the two groups is the most common error with this verb.
Wrong: “Wir machen die Hausaufgaben heute Abend.” Right: “Wir machen die Hausaufgaben heute Abend.” Why: Wir keeps its own form: machen, not machen. Learn wir and ihr as a separate pair from the singular forms.
Wrong: “Ich machen die Hausaufgaben heute Abend.” (infinitive with a subject) Right: “Ich mache die Hausaufgaben heute Abend.” Why: The infinitive machen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form mache.
Wrong: “Ich mache die Hausaufgaben heute Abend gestern.” (a finished past action) Right: “Ich habe die Hausaufgaben heute Abend gemacht.” Why: The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt habe gemacht, not the present mache.
Quiz: machen in the present
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.
What is the ich form of machen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) macht
- B) machen
- C) mache
- D) machst
What is the du form of machen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) machst
- B) mache
- C) macht
- D) machen
What is the er/sie/es form of machen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) mache
- B) machst
- C) machen
- D) macht
What is the wir form of machen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) machen
- B) mache
- C) machst
- D) macht
What is the ihr form of machen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) mache
- B) machst
- C) machen
- D) macht
What is the sie/Sie form of machen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) machen
- B) mache
- C) machst
- D) macht
7. What does machen mean in English?
- A) to take
- B) to make, to do
- C) to give
- D) to see
8. What is the past participle of machen?
- A) gegeben
- B) gesehen
- C) genommen
- D) gemacht
Answer key
- C) mache — The ich form of machen in the Present (Präsens) is mache.
- A) machst — The du form of machen in the Present (Präsens) is machst.
- D) macht — The er/sie/es form of machen in the Present (Präsens) is macht.
- A) machen — The wir form of machen in the Present (Präsens) is machen.
- D) macht — The ihr form of machen in the Present (Präsens) is macht.
- A) machen — The sie/Sie form of machen in the Present (Präsens) is machen.
- B) to make, to do — machen means “to make, to do”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
- D) gemacht — The past participle of machen is gemacht; it is used with haben in the perfect tenses, while the present tense itself is formed from the stem plus the present endings.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present of machen formed?
The present of machen is regular: take the stem and add the present endings, giving ich mache, du machst, er macht, wir machen, ihr macht, sie machen.
When do I use the present of machen?
Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now — for example, “Ich mache die Hausaufgaben heute Abend.” — “I do the homework this evening.” For a finished past action, use the Perfekt instead.
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of machen?
The present describes what is true now or happens regularly; the preterite describes one finished action in the past. Compare “Ich mache die Hausaufgaben heute Abend.” with “Ich machte die Hausaufgaben heute Abend.” — the first is now, the second is the past as a finished event.
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for machen, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of machen — every tense of machen in one place.
- Machen in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Machen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Geben conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Sehen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Nehmen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- German verbs — the full hub of German conjugation pages.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise machen with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise machen with the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — practise machen with the interactive tool.