6. Strong/Irregular Verb Patterns
Verbs are called irregular or 'strong' if they are conjugated in ways that are different from the normal patterns. Verbs that adhere to these patterns are called regular or 'weak'. These divergences from the standard conjugation patterns include:
- vowel changes in the stem of the verb
- addition of umlauts in the stem of the verb
- consonant changes in the stem of the verb
- endings that are different to the standard pattern
There is no way of telling from the infinitive of a verb whether it is weak or strong. Their irregularities need to be learned verb by verb, and it is for this reason that I have supplied the conjugation of the main German strong verbs, which can be accessed by clicking here.
We can say however that the majority of these strong verbs are consistent in that it is only their second and third person singular forms (i.e. the "du" and "er/sie/es" forms) that display irregularities in the present tense. The other forms of the verb have the stem and endings that we would expect to find.
A few patterns can be observed with the irregular forms of the second and third person singular in the present tense.
6.1 Some strong verbs with a stem vowel -e- change this vowel to -i- in the "du" and "er/sie/es" forms.
Table 1: Present tense of "geben" |
Singular |
|
|
ich gebe |
I give |
|
du gibst
Sie geben |
You give (informal/formal) |
|
er/sie/es gibt |
He/she/it gives |
Plural |
|
|
wir geben |
We give |
|
ihr gebt
Sie geben |
You give (informal/formal) |
|
sie geben |
They give |
|
Table 2: Present tense of "essen" |
Singular |
|
|
ich esse |
I eat |
|
du isst
Sie essen |
You eat (informal/formal) |
|
er/sie/es isst |
He/she/it eats |
Plural |
|
|
wir essen |
We eat |
|
ihr esst
Sie essen |
You eat (informal/formal) |
|
sie essen |
They eat |
|
Verbs that behave this way in the present tense include: bergen (to rescue), bersten (to burst), brechen (to break), dreschen (to thresh), erschrecken (to be startled), essen (to eat), fechten (to fence), flechten (to plait), fressen (to eat (of animals)), geben (to give), gelten (to be valid), helfen (to help), messen (to measure), nehmen (to take), quellen (to gush), schelten (to scold), schmelzen (to melt), schwellen (to swell), sprechen (to speak), stechen (to sting), sterben (to die), treffen (to meet), treten (to step; to kick), verbergen (to hide), verderben (to spoil), vergessen (to forget), werben (to recruit; to advertise), werfen (to throw).
Note in particular the present tense of the verbs in the above group whose infinitive has a stem in -t- (bersten, fechten, flechten, gelten, treten)
Table 3: Present tense of "gelten" |
Singular |
|
|
ich gelte |
I am valid |
|
du giltst
Sie gelten |
You are valid (informal/formal) |
|
er/sie/es gilt |
He/she/it is valid |
Plural |
|
|
wir gelten |
We are valid |
|
ihr geltet
Sie gelten |
You are valid (informal/formal) |
|
sie gelten |
They are valid |
|
Within this sub-group, the verb "treten" (to step, to tread; to kick) not only changes its stem vowel from -e- to -i-, but also doubles the medial -t- in the "du" and "er/sie/es" forms.
Table 4: Present tense of "treten" |
Singular |
|
|
ich trete |
I step |
|
du trittst
Sie treten |
You step (informal/formal) |
|
er/sie/es tritt |
He/she/it steps |
Plural |
|
|
wir treten |
We step |
|
ihr tretet
Sie treten |
You step (informal/formal) |
|
sie treten |
They step |
|
6.2 Some strong verbs with a stem vowel -e- change this vowel to -ie- in the second and third persons singular.
Table 5: Present tense of "sehen" |
Singular |
|
|
ich sehe |
I see |
|
du siehst
Sie sehen |
You see (informal/formal) |
|
er/sie/es sieht |
He/she/it sees |
Plural |
|
|
wir sehen |
We see |
|
ihr seht
Sie sehen |
You see (informal/formal) |
|
sie sehen |
They see |
|
Verbs that behave this way in the present tense include: befehlen (to order; to command), empfehlen (to recommend), geschehen (to happen), lesen (to read), sehen (to see), stehlen (to steal).
Table 6: Present tense of "stehlen" |
Singular |
|
|
ich stehle |
I steal |
|
du stiehlst
Sie stehlen |
You steal (informal/formal) |
|
er/sie/es stiehlt |
He/she/it steals |
Plural |
|
|
wir stehlen |
We steal |
|
ihr stehlt
Sie stehlen |
You steal (informal/formal) |
|
sie stehlen |
They steal |
|
6.3 Some strong verbs with a stem vowel -a- change this vowel to -ä- in the second and third persons singular.
Table 7: Present tense of "fahren" |
Singular |
|
|
ich fahre |
I drive |
|
du fährst
Sie fahren |
You drive (informal/formal) |
|
er/sie/es fährt |
He/she/it drives |
Plural |
|
|
wir fahren |
We drive |
|
ihr fahrt
Sie fahren |
You drive (informal/formal) |
|
sie fahren |
They drive |
|
Verbs that behave this way in the present tense include: anfangen (to begin), backen (to bake), blasen (to blow), braten (to roast), einladen (to drive; to go), fahren (to drive; to go), fallen (to fall), fangen (to catch), gefallen (to please), graben (to dig), halten (to hold; to stop), laden (to load), lassen (to let), raten (to advise), schlafen (to sleep), schlagen (to beat), tragen (to carry; to wear), wachsen (to grow), waschen (to wash).
Note in particular the present tense of the following strong verbs whose infinitive has a stem in -ad- (einladen, laden) and -at- (braten, halten, raten):
Table 8: Present tense of "einladen" |
Singular |
|
|
ich lade ein |
I invite |
|
du lädst ein
Sie laden ein |
You invite (informal/formal) |
|
er/sie/es lädt ein |
He/she/it invites |
Plural |
|
|
wir laden ein |
We invite |
|
ihr ladet ein
Sie laden ein |
You invite (informal/formal) |
|
sie laden ein |
They invite |
|
Table 9: Present tense of "halten" |
Singular |
|
|
ich halte |
I hold; I stop |
|
du hältst
Sie halten |
You hold; you stop (informal/formal) |
|
er/sie/es hält |
He/she/it holds, stops |
Plural |
|
|
wir halten |
We hold; we stop |
|
ihr haltet
Sie halten |
You hold; you stop (informal/formal) |
|
sie halten |
They hold; they stop |
|
German Present Tense: "sein", "haben" and other strong verbs
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