German Verb Conjugation: Complete Guide

German verbs change their form based on the subject (who is doing the action) and the tense (when the action happens). Mastering conjugation is essential for forming correct German sentences.

Present Tense (Präsens)

The present tense is the most commonly used tense in German. It's used for current actions, general truths, and even future events.

Regular Verbs

Most German verbs follow this pattern. Remove the -en ending and add:

Stem-Changing Verbs

Some verbs change their stem vowel in the du and er/sie/es forms:

Important Irregular Verbs

sein (to be)

haben (to have)

werden (to become)

Modal Verbs

Modal verbs express ability, permission, obligation, or desire. They have irregular conjugation:

können (can, to be able to)

müssen (must, to have to)

wollen (to want to)

Perfect Tense (Perfekt)

The perfect tense is the most common past tense in spoken German. It's formed with haben/sein + past participle.

With "haben" (most verbs)

With "sein" (movement/change of state)

Past Participle Formation

Simple Past (Präteritum)

The simple past is mainly used in written German (news, stories). In speech, use Perfekt instead.

sein (Präteritum)

haben (Präteritum)

Imperative (Commands)

The imperative is used for commands, requests, and instructions.

Conjugation Tips