Good German Grammar Guide: Konjugation, an Introduction to Basic Verb Conjugation

all text and illustration

© André Klein 2012

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Introduction

Some people claim that German grammar is impossibly difficult. While it's true that German grammar can seem complex, it all depends on the approach. The “Good German Grammar Guide” is a new way to learn German grammar. Instead of overwhelming you with hundreds of pages crammed with theories, rules and regulations, this guide leads you through the world of German grammar in small measured steps while throwing in some fun along the way.

Each guide is very short and focuses only one topic. The explanations are simplified so that even learners without previous grammar studies can effortlessly grasp core concepts. Navigation is enhanced through a clear structure, icons and illustrations to make reviewing and memorizing even easier.

Last but not least, at the end of each guide you'll find a wide range of exercises in which you can test your knowledge, learn new words and experience the theory in action.

A Note From The Author

I've been teaching languages to both adults and children for more than a decade. Over the course of these years I noticed that grammar is both a) necessary and b) “evil”. What I mean by “evil” is that many people (both young and old) are seriously troubled by it. It's not just that there are so many rules (and their exceptions) which have to be memorized, even talking about grammar requires the knowledge of a variety of different terms and concepts.

These difficulties lead many learners to just ignore grammar altogether and slog through without it. While it's admittedly possible to reach a certain level of proficiency this way, they're missing out on the clarity and certainty produced by a basic knowledge of grammar.

The following guide is based on two premises:

- grammar is like a compass: it helps you set the course and correct it

- like a map, it's only useful if simplified (a map of Kansas that lists each stone and blade of grass is useless for finding your way because it's too cluttered)

What you're going to read is the product of many years of distilling complex concepts into bite-sized understandings, served in a digestible way and rounded off with helpful side-notes and exercises.

- André Klein, 06/2012

1. What's Conjugation?

In this (very short) first part we'll look (very broadly) at the general concept of conjugation.

3 Things You Should Know About Conjugation

1. Conjugation is how we change verbs (words describing actions) to fit a situation.

2. The process of conjugation always starts with the basic form of a verb.

3. There are patterns to conjugation which consist of rules and exceptions.

2. How Does It Work?

In this second part you'll learn the nuts and bolts of basic German conjugation.

3 Steps From Infinitive To Verb

1. Find the infinitive! The infinitive is like the factory-setting of a verb. Whenever things get complicated, returning to the infinitive is a good plan. How to find it? In German, the infinitive always ends with “-en” ( examples: essen, schlafen, sagen). Also, when you look up a verb in a dictionary, it will always give you the infinitive.

2. Split off the “-en”! What's left we call the stem. For example, the stem of “sagen” (to say) is simply “sag-”. These aren't finished verbs yet, but they are a great starting point...

3. Add the endings “-e, -st, -t, -en, -t, -en” depending on what you need at the moment. Example: if you want to say “I say” you take the stem “sag-” and add “-e” so that it becomes “Ich sage”.

Sounds complicated? Here's a picture of the three steps:

Simple, isn't it?

Question: “Great! But how do I know which of these endings to pick?”

Good question! These endings make up the toolkit to build basic sentences and learning how to use them correctly is the first step towards mastering German grammar.

Most textbooks will show you tables, and we'll show you one, too, but first let's take the visual route.

The Ground Rule Of German Conjugation

1st person singular (“I”)

2nd person singular (“you”)

3rd person singular (“he”, “she”, “it”)

1st person plural (“we)

2nd person plural (“you”)

3rd person plural (“they”)

Overview & Summary

Here's the same rule again at one glance:

Singular (only one person)

ending

1st

ich

sage

-e

2nd

du

sagst

-st

3rd

er / sie / es

sagt

-t

Plural (more than one person)

ending

1st

wir

sagen

-en

2nd

ihr

sagt

-t

3rd

sie

sagen

-en

Notes:

To memorize these forms more easily, you can use the following three rules:

- 1st and 3rd person plural are exactly like the infinitive

- 3rd person singular is exactly like 2nd person plural

- 2nd person singular is just like 3rd singular and 2nd plural, only with an “s”

Sounds complicated? Here's a drawing:

Do you see the pattern? In the end, although there are six different pronouns (or persons) they share the same four endings!

Question: “So these four forms are basically all I need to know?”

Yes, these four forms (-e, st, -t, -en) cover most needs when talking about the present tense. However, you should note that there are two other ways to use two of these endings.

3rd sg.

man

sagt

-t

3rd pl.

Sie

sagen

-en

As you can see, “man” and “Sie” (capital S) use the same ending as 3rd person singular and 3rd personal plural. But what are they good for?

- “Sie” is used when addressing one or more people politely or formally. Example: “Möchten Sie etwas trinken, Herr Meier?” - “Do you care for a drink, Mr. Meier?”

- “Man” is an indefinite pronoun. It refers to a person without identifying it closer. Example: “Man kann das machen.” - “You can do that / One can do that.”

The good news here is that you don't have to learn any additional new endings. “Man” and “Sie” work just like “he” and “sie”.

ATTENTION: While the six different endings we discussed apply to almost all German verbs, there is a variety of verbs that also change their stem when being conjugated. For now, it's enough to keep this in mind. These whacky irregular verbs are also called “starke Verben” (“strong verbs”) in contrast to the regular “schwache Verben” (“weak verbs”), by the way.

Although we won't go into discussing “starke Verben” in this unit, we will look at one such a misfit case which doesn't seem to follow our rule at all but is nevertheless one of the most frequently used German verbs.

The Most Notable Exception

„Sein oder nicht sein, das ist die Frage.“ - Hamlet

The German verb “sein” - “to be” acts very strangely, but it's a good friend if you know its oddities. Have a look:

Singular (only one person)

1st

ich

bin

2nd

du

bist

3rd

er / sie / es

ist

Plural (more than one person)

1st

wir

sind

2nd

ihr

seid

3rd

sie

sind

Notes:

It's strange that all these formsof one verb are so different, isn't it? It's almost as if the singular and plural forms belong to completely different verbs. Well, they do, that is – they did: the history of this verb is an ancient one sprawling through a number of different evolutions and languages. All these different mutations, so to say, became fused in the modern German verb “sein” (Wikipedia has a a nice geeky chart that gives you an overview of what we're dealing with here).

3. Why Don't You Try It Yourself?

„Probieren geht über studieren.“ - Deutsches Sprichwort

Now that you've learned about the theory, let's put that knowledge into practice. (The correct answers you can find all the way at the end.) Ready? Let's go!

Note:

Writing your answers down on a piece of paper (or electronic equivalent) is a good way to familiarize yourself with these forms and their spelling. Just doing these exercises in your mind is also okay, but writing your conjugations down will make them stickier.

Level 1: “Six persons, four endings“

1. Peter _____ (gehen) zur Schule.

2. Wir _____ (rennen) nach Hause.

3. Ich _____ (lieben) Beethoven.

4. Du _____ (kaufen) Schokolade.

5. Sie _____ (fragen) eine Frage.

6. Er _____ (leben) in Hamburg.

7. Es _____ (regnen) in London.

8. Ihr _____ (spielen) Tennis.

9. Du _____ (gucken) auf dein Smartphone.

10. Ich _____ (rauchen) nicht.

Level 2: “Two more, please!”

Now, let's see if we can do the same with the polite or formal “Sie” and the undefined “man”. Some sentences are questions, so make sure to capitalize your verbs if they're at the beginning.

1. Man _____ (schreiben) Briefe heute elektronisch.

2. Sie _____ (lernen) sehr gut!

3. _____ (haben) Sie eine Katze?

4. Man _____ (hören) viel über den Krieg.

5. _____ (wohnen) Sie auch in Berlin?

6. Warum _____ (antworten) Sie nicht?

7. Man _____ (singen) Lieder im Chor.

8. _____ (kochen) Sie gerne Spaghetti?

9. Wo _____ (sitzen) Sie?

10. Man _____ (surfen) den ganzen Tag im Internet.

Level 3: “To be or not to be...”

Let's take a look at our first irregular verb “sein”.

1. Du _____ (sein) sehr nett.

2. Wir _____ (sein) aus Italien.

3. Ich _____ (sein) glücklich.

4. Ihr _____ (sein) gut im Tennis!

5. Das Wetter _____ (sein) schlecht.

6. Sie _____ (sein) Sekretärin.

7. Peter _____ (sein) Pilot.

8. _____ (sein) du der neue Student?

9. Das _____ (sein) das beste Restaurant in der Stadt.

10. Ich _____ (sein) Programmierer.

Level 4: ”Now everyone...“

Do you feel comfortable with conjugating German verbs, yet? If not, please repeat level 1-3. If you do, let's now add everything we've learned to the mix!

1. Wo _____ (sein) mein Autoschlüssel?

2. Sie _____ (hören) den ganzen Tag nur die Beatles.

3. _____ (leben) man gut in Deutschland?

4. Du _____ (schreiben) sehr schöne Briefe.

5. Maria _____ (haben) schöne Augen.

6. Ich _____ (gehen) mit meinem Hund spazieren.

7. _____ (haben) du viel Arbeit heute?

8. Wieviel _____ (kosten) das Radio?

9. Wo _____ (sein) die Toiletten, bitte?

10. Ihr _____ (kommen) aus Norwegen.

Appendix

Hey, you've made it! Here are the correct answers and some other interesting things:

Answers

Level 1:

1. geht

2. rennen

3. liebe

4. kaufst

5. fragt / fragen (it could be one person or many)

6. lebt

7. regnet

8. spielt

9. guckst

10. rauche

Level 2:

1. schreibt

2. lernen

3. haben

4. hört

5. Wohnen

6. antworten

7. singt

8. kochen

9. sitzen

10. surft

Level 3:

1. bist

2. sind

3. bin

4. seid

5. ist

6. ist

7. ist

8. bist

9. ist

10. bin

Level 4:

1. Ist

2. hören

3. Lebt

4. schreibst

5. hat

6. gehe

7. Hast

8. kostet

9. sind

10. kommt

Further Links & Resources

Need some more exercises? Have a look at these free resources*:

- great exercises for the verb “sein” at mein-deutschbuch.de: (scroll to bottom here for links to PDF and online exercises)

- more exercises for regular verb conjugation at mein-deutschbuch.de: online exercises (part 1, part 2) and PDF

- even more exercises for regular verb conjugation via Toms Deutschseite: online exercises

* while we meticulously checked these links, we can't guarantee that they'll always be online in the current form, nor can we take responsibility for any inaccuracies or technical issues regarding their content. Thank you for your understanding.

About the Author

André Klein was born in Germany, grew up in Sweden and Thailand and currently lives in Israel where he hones his half-baked Hebrew skills. He has been teaching languages for more than 15 years and is the author of various story series for German learners and a couple of perpetually unpublished novels.

Website: andreklein.net

Twitter: twitter.com/barrencode

Blog: learnoutlive.com/blog

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Table of Contents

Introduction

A Note From The Author

1. What's Conjugation?

3 Things You Should Know About Conjugation

2. How Does It Work?

3 Steps From Infinitive To Verb

The Ground Rule Of German Conjugation

Overview & Summary

The Most Notable Exception

3. Why Don't You Try It Yourself?

Level 1: “Six persons, four endings“

Level 2: “Two more, please!”

Level 3: “To be or not to be...”

Level 4: ”Now everyone...“

Appendix

Answers

Further Links & Resources

About the Author

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