German Verbs

Now that we've covered the basics of German nouns, let’s turn our attention to German verbs—the words that describe the action the subject (noun or pronoun) is performing. Take a look at this sentence:

What is the woman doing? The woman is learning German. Let’s learn how to build simple sentences like this, with a subject and a verb.

To use verbs in German sentences, we need to cover conjugation. We’ll start by learning how to conjugate the verb machen, which means "to make."

Whenever we introduce new verbs, we use the infinitive (the root form of the verb). For example: machen. But depending on the sentence subject and/or tense, the verb transforms. This is called conjugation.

Here’s a conjugation table for machen:

As noted above, verb conjugation depends on two factors:

• What tense is being used (e.g., present tense, past tense)
• What noun (e.g., the dog, the woman) or pronoun (e.g., I, we, they) is being used

Most German verbs, called regular verbs, follow a common conjugation pattern. If you know how to conjugate one regular verb, you can do the same for others. Machen is a regular verb. Another example is gehen, which means "to go."

Let’s see how gehen is conjugated, similarly to machen:

Notice how the beginnings (the stems) of both verbs stay the same, but the endings change in the same way. Using the same pattern, try to guess the correct endings for the regular verbs below:

Well done! 🎉

You're starting to conjugate German verbs! This is an important step since you'll conjugate verbs in nearly every sentence you create. Before we move on, here’s a list of commonly used regular verbs:

reden

to speak

spielen

to play

leben

to live

glauben

to believe

fragen

to ask

arbeiten

to work

Unlike regular verbs, which follow a set pattern, irregular verbs are unique. It’s best to memorize these as you come across them. Fortunately, you’ll frequently see two common irregular verbs, so you’ll learn them quickly. In fact, we already used one in our first lesson on introductions! These two essential verbs are: sein (to be) and haben (to have).

Let’s practice recognizing these irregular verbs by guessing the correct translations of the sentences below:

Er hat einen guten Beruf.

They have jobs.He has a good job.I don't have a job.

Great job 🎉!

You are beginning to use some of the most important verbs in the German language!

Before moving to the next lesson, practice what you’ve learned with the exercises below.

Tap the words to construct your sentence.

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IchDumachmacheeinenKuchen.

Write the correct conjugated verb in each sentence.

Try creating your own simple sentences with a subject and action:

Well done! You’re building simple sentences in German! Now you're ready for the next lesson on German declension.