Go to the homepage of this German Course Present Tense: Verbs ending in -eln and -ern University of Portsmouth
5. Verbs ending in -eln

In the present tense, German verbs whose infinitive stem ends in -eln form their present tense by removing the -n of the stem and adding the normal endings. Note however:

  • that the -e of the stem is omitted in the first person singular - i.e. ich klingle, ich sammle
  • that the "wir" ending on such verbs is -n, not -en
  • that the formal "Sie" ending is also -n
  • that the third person plural ending is also -n, not -en

Singular  
ich klingle I ring
du klingelst
Sie klingeln
You ring
(informal/formal) 
er/sie/es klingelt He/she/it rings
Plural  
wir klingeln We ring
ihr klingelt
Sie klingeln
You ring
(informal/formal) 
sie klingeln They ring


Singular  
ich sammle I collect
du sammelst
Sie sammeln
You collect
(informal/formal) 
er/sie/es sammelt He/she/it collects
Plural  
wir sammeln We collect
ihr sammelt
Sie sammeln
You collect
(informal/formal) 
sie sammeln They collect


Other verbs with a stem in ending in -eln include:

A-E: abwiegeln (to calm down), ähneln (to resemble), angeln (to go fishing), anzetteln (to instigate), aufwiegeln (to stir up), basteln (to make things with your hands), baumeln (to dangle), behandeln (to treat), bemängeln (to find fault with), besiegeln (to seal), blinzeln (to blink), bröckeln (to crumble), bügeln (to iron), bummeln (to stroll), einkesseln (to encircle), ekeln (to disgust), entwickeln (to develop), entwurzeln (to uproot), erdrosseln (to throttle), ermitteln (to determine)

F-M: fesseln (to tie, to bind), frösteln (to shiver), fummeln (to fiddle, to fumble), gipfeln (to culminate), grübeln (to brood), gruseln (to give the creeps), gurgeln (to gargle, to gurgle), hageln (to hail), häkeln (to crochet), handeln (to act), hätscheln (to pamper), heucheln (to be a hypocrite), hobeln (to plane), humpeln (to hobble, to limp), hüsteln (to cough slightly), jobeln (to yodel), jubeln (to celebrate), kitzeln (to tickle), klingeln (to ring), knebeln (to gag), kränkeln (to be poorly), kribbeln (to tickle), kritzeln (to scribble), lächeln (to smile), mäkeln (to carp, to cavil), mangeln (to lack), maßregeln (to reprimand), mogeln (to cheat), murmeln (to murmur)

N-S: nieseln (to drizzle), nörgeln (to moan, to crumble), pendeln (to swing; to commute), pinseln (to paint), prügeln (to beat), rätseln (to rack your brains), regeln (to regulate), rodeln (to toboggan), runzeln (to wrinkle), rütteln (to shake), sammeln (to collect), satteln (to saddle), schaufeln (to shovel), schaukeln (to rock, to sway), schimmeln (to go mouldy), schlafwandeln (to sleepwalk), sich schlängeln (to wind its way, to snake), schmeicheln (to flatter), schmuggeln (to smuggle), schmunzeln (to smile), schnüffeln (to sniff, to snuffle), schütteln (to shake), schwindeln (to feel dizzy; to con), segeln (to sail), spiegeln (to reflect, to mirror), sprudeln (to bubble, to fizz), stammeln (to stammer), stempeln (to stamp; to postmark), straucheln (to stumble), streicheln (to caress, to stroke)

T-Z: tadeln (to blame), taumeln (to stagger, to sway), trampeln (to stamp your feet), trödeln (to dawdle), trommeln (to drum), tröpfeln (to drip), sich tummeln (to romp about), tuscheln (to whisper), übersiedeln (to move, to migrate), umkrempeln (to turn up), verdoppeln (to double), verdunkeln (to darken), vereiteln (to thwart, to foil), verhandeln (to negotiate), verwandeln (to change, to transform), verwechseln (to confuse), wackeln (to wobble, to shake), wandeln (to walk; to stroll), wechseln (to change), wedeln (to wag), wickeln (to wind, to wrap), wimmeln (to swarm, to teem), winseln (to whimper), zerbröckeln (to crumble), zündeln (to play with fire), zweifeln (to doubt).


This group of -eln verbs also include a small number of verbs recently imported from English. They include canceln (to cancel), googeln (to use Google) and puzzeln (to do a jigsaw).

Singular  
ich canc(e)le I cancel
du cancelst
Sie canceln
You cancel
(informal/formal) 
er/sie/es cancelt He/she/it cancels
Plural  
wir canceln We cancel
ihr cancelt
Sie canceln
You cancel
(informal/formal) 
sie canceln They cancel



Verbs ending in -ern

German verbs whose infinitive stem ends in -ern also form their present tense by removing the -n of the stem and adding the normal endings. In spoken German, the -e of the stem is sometimes omitted in the first person singular - i.e. ich wand(e)re. In written German however, the -e of the stem is retained. Note also:

  • that the "wir" ending on such verbs is -n, not -en
  • that the formal "Sie" ending is also -n
  • that the third person plural ending is also -n, not -en

Singular  
ich erinnere I remind
du erinnerst
Sie erinnern
You remind
(informal/formal) 
er/sie/es erinnert He/she/it reminds
Plural  
wir erinnern We remind
ihr erinnert
Sie erinnern
You remind
(informal/formal) 
sie erinnern They remind


Singular  
ich wand(e)re I wander
du wanderst
Sie wandern
You wander
(informal/formal) 
er/sie/es wandert He/she/it wanders
Plural  
wir wandern We wander
ihr wandert
Sie wandern
You wander
(informal/formal) 
sie wandern They wander


Verbs with a stem in ending in -ern include:

A-E: altern (to grow old), sich anbiedern (to court someone's favour), ändern (to change), ankern (to anchor), ärgern (to irritate), aufheitern (to brighten up), aufmuntern (to cheer up), äußern (to express), aussondern (to single out), auswandern (to emigrate), behindern (to impede), bemuttern (to mother), bereichern (to enrich), beteuern (to declare), bevölkern (to populate), bewundern (to admire), beziffern (to number; to estimate), blättern (to leaf through), chartern (to charter), dämmern (to dawn), dauern (to last, to endure), donnern (to thunder), durchstöbern (to rummage through), einbürgern (to naturalize), eitern (to fester), entziffern (to decipher), erinnern (to remind), sich erinnern (to remember), erlätern (to explain), erleichtern (to make easier), erneuern (to renew), erobern (to conquer), erörtern (to discuss), erschüttern (to shake severely), erweitern (to expand), erwidern (to respond)

F-M: feiern (to celebrate), feuern (to sack, to fire), filtern (to filter), flüstern (to whisper), folgern (to conclude), foltern (to torture), fordern (to demand), fördern (to support, to promote), füttern (to feed), gliedern (to structure), hämmern (to hammer), hamstern (to hoard; to forage), hapern (to be lacking), hindern (to impede), hungern (to starve), jammern (to whine, to yammer), kauern (to crouch; to cower), kentern (to capsize), kichern (to giggle), klammern (to peg, to staple), klappern (to clatter), klettern (to climb), knabbern (to nibble), knistern (to rustle), knittern (to crease), ködern (to lure; to entice), kontern (to counter), sich kümmern (to look after; to worry), lagern (to store), lästern (to be cruel about someone), lauern (to lurk, to lie in wait), liefern (to deliver), lindern (to alleviate), lockern (to loosen), martern (to torment), meckern (to grouse; to moan), meistern (to overcome), mildern (to alleviate), mindern (to diminish), mustern (to scrutinize)

N-S: opfern (to sacrifice), pflastern (to surface; to cobble), pilgern (to make a pilgrimage), plappern (to prattle), plaudern (to chat, to talk), plündern (to plunder), polstern (to upholster), pudern (to powder), räuchern (to smoke), sich räuspern (to clear one's throat), rudern (to row), säbern (to clean), scheitern (to fail), schildern (to depict), schimmern (to shimmer), schlendern (to stroll, to amble), schleudern (to hurl, to sling), schmälern (to diminish, to reduce), schnuppern (to sniff, to snuffle), sichern (to secure), speichern (to store), steigern (to increase), steuern (to navigate), stolpern (to stumble), stottern (to stutter)

T-Z: trauern (to mourn), untermauern (to underpin), verallgemeinern (to generalize), verändern (to change), verbessern (to improve), vergewissern (to make sure), vergrößern (to enlarge), verhindern (to prevent), verkleinern (to make smallert), verkörpern (to embody), verlängern (to extend), verringern (to reduce), verschlechtern (to make worse), verschleiern (to veil), verschlimmern (to make worse), versichern (to assure), versteigern (to auction), verweigern (to refuse), wandern (to wander), sich weigern (to refuse), wetteifern (to compete), wuchern (to proliferate), wundern (to surprise), zaubern (to do magic), zaudern (to hesitate), zertrümmern (to smash; to wreck), zittern (to tremble), zögern (to hesitate), zwinkern (to blink; to twinkle).




Weiter!German Present Tense: Irregular Verbs


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