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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.

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


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)

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.

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.

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).

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.

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):

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


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



Weiter!German Present Tense: "sein", "haben" and other strong verbs


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