CEFR A1 • Verben

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Präsens: Verben mit konstantem Stammvokal

Q: How do you conjugate regular German verbs in the present tense?

Remove the infinitive ending -en to get the verb stem, then add the personal endings: -e (ich), -st (du), -t (er/sie/es), -en (wir), -t (ihr), -en (sie/Sie). For example, spielen → ich spiele, du spielst, er spielt.

Q: What does 'Verben ohne Vokalwechsel' mean in German?

Verben ohne Vokalwechsel means 'verbs without vowel change.' These are regular German verbs whose stem vowel stays the same in all present-tense forms, unlike Verben mit Vokalwechsel (stem-changing verbs), where the vowel shifts in the du and er/sie/es forms.

Q: Where does the verb go in a German statement?

In a German declarative sentence ( Aussagesatz ) the conjugated verb always occupies the second position . The subject comes first, the verb second, and all other elements follow: Ich lerne Deutsch. If another element opens the sentence, the verb still stays second and the subject shifts to third position: Heute lerne ich Deutsch.

Q: Which present-tense forms of a regular German verb are identical to the infinitive?

The wir (we), sie (they), and the formal Sie (you) forms all share the ending -en , which is identical to the infinitive. For example: spielen → wir spielen, sie spielen, Sie spielen.

At CEFR level A1, Verben ohne Vokalwechsel (regular present-tense verbs) form the backbone of everyday German communication. By mastering this topic you will be able to conjugate the most common German verbs correctly in all six persons and build grammatically accurate statements and questions.

Kernregel: Remove -en from the infinitive to get the stem, then add the endings: ich → -e, du → -st, er/sie/es → -t, wir/sie/Sie → -en, ihr → -t — e.g. spiel-en → ich spiele, du spielst, er spielt.

Most German verbs in the present tense follow a regular conjugation pattern. You take the verb stem (the infinitive minus -en) and add the appropriate personal ending. Understanding this pattern is fundamental to forming correct sentences in German.

Merke: Regular verbs keep their stem vowel unchanged throughout all conjugations. The stem of spielen is spiel-, the stem of kaufen is kauf-, and so on.

Warum ist es wichtig? – Why does it matter?

The present tense (Präsens) is the most frequently used tense in everyday German. It expresses what is happening now, what happens regularly, and – unlike English – it can also describe future events that are already planned or certain. Mastering regular verb conjugation is therefore the foundation of German communication.

Die Formen – Conjugation Endings

Let’s look at the full conjugation of spielen (to play) as our model verb:

Person	Singular	Plural	Formell
1. Person	ich spiele	wir spielen	Sie spielen
2. Person	du spielst	ihr spielt
3. Person	er/sie/es spielt	sie spielen

Die Endungen im Detail – The Endings in Detail

Singular

ich + -e
du + -st
er/sie/es + -t

Plural

wir + -en
ihr + -t
sie + -en

Formelle Anrede

Sie + -en

Same ending as wir/sie plural. Always capitalized.

Weitere Beispiele – More Verb Conjugations

Pronomen	machen (to do/make)	wohnen (to live)	kaufen (to buy)	hören (to hear)
ich	mache	wohne	kaufe	höre
du	machst	wohnst	kaufst	hörst
er/sie/es	macht	wohnt	kauft	hört
wir	machen	wohnen	kaufen	hören
ihr	macht	wohnt	kauft	hört
sie/Sie	machen	wohnen	kaufen	hören

Satzbau: Verbposition – Verb Position

In German sentences, the conjugated verb always occupies the second position (V2 word order). This rule applies whether the sentence starts with the subject, a time expression, or another element.

Aussagesatz (Statement)

Subject → Verb → Rest

Ich wohne in Berlin.

Fragesatz mit Fragewort (Wh-Question)

W-word → Verb → Subject → Rest

Wo wohnst du?

Fragesatz ohne Fragewort (Yes/No Question)

Verb → Subject → Rest

Lernst du Deutsch?

Häufige regelmäßige Verben – Common Regular Verbs

arbeiten – to work
brauchen – to need
fragen – to ask
glauben – to believe
holen – to fetch/get
kochen – to cook
lachen – to laugh
leben – to live
lernen – to learn
lieben – to love
malen – to paint/draw
sagen – to say
tanzen – to dance

Zusammenfassung – Summary

Remove -en from the infinitive to get the stem.
Add personal endings: -e, -st, -t, -en, -t, -en.
The formal Sie always takes the same ending as wir and the 3rd person plural.
The conjugated verb is always in the second position in a statement.
In a yes/no question, the verb moves to the first position.

Häufig gestellte Fragen – FAQ

How do you conjugate regular German verbs in the present tense?

Remove the infinitive ending -en to get the verb stem, then add the personal endings: -e (ich), -st (du), -t (er/sie/es), -en (wir), -t (ihr), -en (sie/Sie). For example, spielen → ich spiele, du spielst, er spielt.

What does 'Verben ohne Vokalwechsel' mean in German?

Verben ohne Vokalwechsel means 'verbs without vowel change.' These are regular German verbs whose stem vowel stays the same in all present-tense forms, unlike Verben mit Vokalwechsel (stem-changing verbs), where the vowel shifts in the du and er/sie/es forms.

Where does the verb go in a German statement?

In a German declarative sentence (Aussagesatz) the conjugated verb always occupies the second position. The subject comes first, the verb second, and all other elements follow: Ich lerne Deutsch. If another element opens the sentence, the verb still stays second and the subject shifts to third position: Heute lerne ich Deutsch.

Which present-tense forms of a regular German verb are identical to the infinitive?

The wir (we), sie (they), and the formal Sie (you) forms all share the ending -en, which is identical to the infinitive. For example: spielen → wir spielen, sie spielen, Sie spielen.