Go to the homepage of this German Course Present Tense: Verbs with -d and -t stems University of Portsmouth
3. Verbs with a stem ending in -d

In the present tense, German verbs whose infinitive stem ends in -d:

  • add -est and not -st in the "du" form
  • add -et and not -t in the "er/sie/es" form
  • add -et and not -t in the "ihr" form

Singular  
ich rede I speak
du redest
Sie reden
You speak
(informal/formal) 
er/sie/es redet He/she/it speaks
Plural  
wir reden We speak
ihr redet
Sie reden
You speak
(informal/formal) 
sie reden They speak


Singular  
ich melde I report
du meldest
Sie melden
You report
(informal/formal) 
er/sie/es meldet He/she/it reports
Plural  
wir melden We report
ihr meldet
Sie melden
You report
(informal/formal) 
sie melden They report

Verbs with a stem in ending in -d include:

A-E: ahnden (to avenge, to punish), aufbürden (to encumber), baden (to bathe), beenden (to end), beneiden (to envy), bilden (to form), binden (to tie), blenden (to dazzle), downloaden (to download), dulden (to tolerate), enden (to end), erkunden (to find out, to reconnoitre), ermorden (to murder), ermüden (to tire)

F-M: fahnden (to search for), sich gebärden (to conduct oneself), gefährden (to endanger), gründen (to found), kleiden (to dress), landen (to land), melden (to report), münden (to flow into, to lead)

N-S: pfänden (to impound), reden (to speak), roden (to clear), runden (to round), schaden (to damage), schmieden (to forge), schneiden (to cut), schulden (to owe), senden (to send), sieden (to boil), spenden (to donate), stranden (to run aground, to be stranded), stunden (to give someone time to pay)

T-Z: verabschieden (to say goodbye to), verfremden (to defamiliarize), vergeuden (to waste), verschwenden (to waste), verschwinden (to disappear), verwunden (to wound), vollenden (to complete), wenden (to turn), zünden (to ignite).




Verbs with a stem ending in -t

In the present tense, German verbs whose infinitive stem ends in -t equally:

  • add -est and not -st in the "du" form
  • add -et and not -t in the "er/sie/es" form
  • add -et and not -t in the "ihr" form

Singular  
ich arbeite I work
du arbeitest
Sie arbeiten
You work
(informal/formal) 
er/sie/es arbeitet He/she/it works
Plural  
wir arbeiten We work
ihr arbeitet
Sie arbeiten
You work
(informal/formal) 
sie arbeiten They work


Singular  
ich warte I wait
du wartest
Sie warten
You wait
(informal/formal) 
er/sie/es wartet He/she/it waits
Plural  
wir warten We wait
ihr wartet
Sie warten
You wait
(informal/formal) 
sie arbeiten They wait


Verbs with a stem in ending in -t include:

A-E: achten (to respect), antworten (to answer), arbeiten (to work), auflisten (to list), ausbeuten (to exploit), ausbooten (to kick out), ausbreiten (to spread out), auskundschaften (to find out), ausmisten (to muck out), ausrotten (to eradicate), ausstatten (to equip), befristen (to limit), begleiten (to accompany), begutachten (to give expert advice about), behaupten (to assert), beichten (to confess), bekleiden (to dress, to clothe), belasten (to burden), belichten (to expose), beobachten (to observe), bereiten (to prepare), beten (to pray), bewerten (to evaluate), bewirten (to feed; to entertain), bitten (to ask), bluten (to bleed), brüsten (to boast), brüten (to brood), bürsten (to brush), dichten (to write, to compose), deuten (to point), duften (to smell), dünsten (to steam, to stew), entkräften (to weaken; to refute), sich erkälten (to catch a cold), ernten (to harvest), erröten (to blush)

F-M: falten (to fold), flirten (to flirt), flüchten (to flee), fürchten (to fear), gestalten (to shape), gestatten (to permit), gewährleisten (to guarantee), haften (to be legally responsible), härten (to harden), hasten (to hurry), heften (to pin, to fix), heiraten (to marry), horten (to hoard), husten (to cough), hüten (to look after), kneten (to knead), knoten (to knot), kosten (to cost), läuten (to ring), lauten (to be, to amount to), leisten (to achieve), leiten (to lead), leuchten (to shine), lüften (to air), mieten (to rent, to hire)

N-S: pachten (to lease), punkten (to score points), pusten (to puff, to blow), retten (to save), richten (to direct, to focus), rosten (to rust), rüsten (to arm), schalten (to switch), schlachten (to slaughter), schlichten (to mediate, to arbitrate), schmachten (to languish, to pine), schütten (to pour), sichten (to look through), spalten (to split), spotten (to mock), spurten (to spurt), starten (to start), stiften (to found, to donate)

T-Z: tasten (to feel, to grope), testen (to test), töten (to kill), trachten (to strive), trösten (to console), übernachten (to spend the night), veralten (to grow old), veranstalten (to organize), verarzten (to patch up), verbluten (to bleed to death), verbreiten (to spread), verdursten (to die of thirst), verhaften (to arrest), verkraften (to cope with), vermarkten (to market), vermuten (to assume), vernichten (to destroy), verpflichten (to oblige, to commit), verrichten (to perform, to carry out), sich verspäten (to be late), verunstalten (to disfigure, to scar), verwüsten (to devastate, to ravage), verzichten (to do without), vorbereiten (to prepare), warten (to wait), werten (to rate), wetten (to bet), wirtschaften (to economize), wüten (to rage), züchten (to breed).

These verbs with a stem in -t also include a number of verbs recently imported from English: babysitten (to baby-sit), chatten (to chat), jetten (to jet), layouten (to layout), sich outen (to out oneself), promoten (to promote), toasten (to toast).

Singular  
ich chatte I chat
du chattest
Sie chatten
You chat
(informal/formal) 
er/sie/es chattet He/she/it chats
Plural  
wir chatten We chat
ihr chattet
Sie chatten
You chat
(informal/formal) 
sie chatten They chat



Weiter!German Present Tense: Verbs with stems ending in a consonant + -n or -m


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