present tense Flashcards
when using regular verbs for present tense what pattern is applied to turn the infinitive into the correct form.
the “en” is removed and replaced with the correct ending. These endings are:
ich - e
du - st
er/sie/es/man - t
wir - en (use infinitive)
ihr - t
Sie/sie - en
How would you write out the verb spielen (to play) in the present tense?
stem: spiel-
- ich spiele – I play
- du spielst – you play
- er spielt – he plays
- sie spielt – she plays
- es spielt – it plays
- wir spielen – we play
- ihr spielt – you play
- Sie spielen – you play
- sie spielen – they play
How would you write out the verb kaufen (to buy) in the present tense?
stem: kauf-
- ich kaufe – I buy
- du kaufst – you buy
- er kauft – he buys
- sie kauft – she buys
- es kauft – it buys
- wir kaufen – we buy
- ihr kauft – you buy
- Sie kaufen – you buy
- sie kaufen – they buy
How would you write out the verb besuchen (to visit) in the present tense?
stem: besuch-
- ich besuche – I visit
- du besuchst – you visit
- er besucht – he visits
- sie besucht – she visits
- es besucht – it visits
- wir besuchen – we visit
- ihr besucht – you visit
- Sie besuchen – you visit
- sie besuchen – they visit
For infinitives whose roots end with “d” or “t” what procedure should be done when adding the du and ihr endings?
when you add the usual endings to the du, er/sie/es and ihr forms, they are not very clear, and therefore incorrect, eg er findt or sie wartt. To make them clearer, and easier to pronounce, you have to add -e- between the stem and the ending for the du, er/sie/es and ihr forms only, eg “er findet or sie wartet”
How would you say the following in German?
He works
er arbeitet
what is an irregular verb?
verbs that do not follow the conventional ending pattern.
what are the 3 types of vowel changes in irregular verbs?
- Add i
Some verbs change the vowel sound by adding an i in the second and third person singular, eg lesen (to read) and sehen (to see). - Add an umlaut
Some verbs change the vowel sound by adding an umlaut in the second and third person singular, eg fahren (to travel), tragen (to wear or carry) and waschen (to wash). - Swap e for i
Some verbs change the vowel sound by swapping e for i in the second and third person singular, eg essen (to eat) and vergessen (to forget).
when is a present tense sentance used?
The present tense is used:
- to say what you are doing right now – ich arbeite – I am working
- to say what you do regularly or always – ich schwimme jede Woche – I swim every week
- to describe something ongoing – ich spiele Fußball – I play football (this implies it is one of your hobbies)
- to express the near future – ich hole dir ein Eis – I’ll get you an ice-cream
How do you form present tense questions in German?
To ask a question in German, just swap the verb and the subject round, eg:
- Du isst. – You eat/You are eating.
- Isst du? – Do you eat?/Are you eating?
- Fahren sie rechts. – Do They drive on the right?
Practise these strong verbs by translating these phrases:
- she forgets (vergessen – to forget – goes like essen)
- he travels (fahren)
- you wear (singular, informal) – (tragen – to wear – like fahren)
- I see (sehen)
- he washes (waschen – to wash – like fahren)
- Are you reading, granny? (lesen)
sie vergisst
er fährt
du trägst
ich sehe
er wäscht
Liest du, Oma?
what are seperable verbs?
they are a special group of verbs in german, they have an extra bit at the front, which is called a prefix. Sometimes this may be a preposition.
how do you conjugate seprable verbs for present tense?
- chop off the prefix
- conjugate the verb as usual
- put the prefix at the end of the clause
Try writing the following sentences in German and check your answers. Don’t forget what goes at the end of the sentence.
- We wake up at 06:00.
- She is arriving today.
- I watch television in the evening.
- Wir wachen um sechs Uhr auf.
- Sie kommt heute an.
- Ich sehe abends fern.
What are reflexive verbs?
Reflexive verbs - reflexive Verben - describe something you do to yourself.
what are the reflexive prounouns?
- ich-mich
- du-dich
- er-sich
- sie-sich
- es-sich
- wir-uns
- ihr-euch
- Sie-sich
- sie-sich
Using the infinitives, practise reflexive verbs by writing these sentences in German. Remember to conjugate the verbs in the usual way and include the right reflexive pronoun.
- I’m interested in music. (sich interessieren für – to be interested in)
- We are looking forward to Saturday. (sich freuen auf - to look forward to)
- The man is shaving. (sich rasieren – to shave, to have a shave)
- She gets annoyed every day. (sich ärgern – to get annoyed)
- Ich interessiere mich für Musik.
- Wir freuen uns auf Samstag.
- Der Mann rasiert sich.
- Sie ärgert sich jeden Tag.
form these reflexive seprabe verbs;
* sich anziehen – to dress For sie
* sich ausruhen – to relax, rest For wir
* sich hinsetzen – to sit down For ich
- sie zieht sich schnell an – she dresses/gets dressed quickly
- wir ruhen uns im Garten aus – We relax in the garden
- ich setze mich im Wohnzimmer hin – I sit down in the lounge
Some reflexive verbs change the accusative pronouns mich and dich to…
the dative pronouns mir and dir.
Match the German present tense forms of haben to their English equivalents.
haben to have
1. ich habe A. You have (formal)
2. du hast B. he has
3. er hat C. we have
4. sie hat D. they have
5. es hat E. you have (pl)
6. wir haben F. I have
7. ihr habt G. it has
8. Sie haben H. she has
9. sie haben I. you have (s)
ich habe – F. I have
du hast – I. you have (s)
er hat – B. he has
sie hat – H. she has
es hat – G. it has
wir haben – C. we have
ihr habt – E. you have (pl)
Sie haben – A. you have (formal)
sie haben – D. they have
Match the German present tense forms of sein to their English equivalents.
sein to be
1. ich bin A. he is
2. du bist B. they are
3. er ist C. You are (formal)
4. sie ist D. it is
5. es ist E. you are (s)
6. wir sind F. I am
7. ihr seid G. she is
8. Sie sind H. we are
9. sie sind I. you are (pl)
ich bin – F. I am
du bist – E. you are (s)
er ist – A. he is
sie ist – G. she is
es ist – D. it is
wir sind – H. we are
ihr seid – I. you are (pl)
Sie sind – C. you are (formal)
sie sind – B. they are
what does Es gibt mean?
“there is” and “there are”
when is the accusative case used?
The “accusative case” is used when the noun is the direct object in the sentence. In other words, when it’s the thing being affected (or “verbed”) in the sentence. And when a noun is in the accusative case, the words for “the” change a teeny tiny bit from the nominative.
How do you make sentances negative in german?
insert a negative adverb with verbs
use kein instead of ein, eine, ein with nouns
Negative adverbs
Here are some common negative adverbs:
nicht – not
nie – never
niemals – never
