Purpose
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to correctly conjugate a regular German verb in the present tense.
Lesson Explanation
Regular German verbs follow a consistent pattern. Using spielen (to play) as the model:
ich spiele (I play) du spielst (you play) er/sie/es spielt (he/she/it plays) wir spielen (we play) ihr spielt (you all play) sie/Sie spielen (they play)
The pattern: remove -en from the infinitive, leaving the stem spiel-, then add -e, -st, -t, -en, -t, -en.
A genuinely important, specific rule: if a verb stem ends in -d or -t, an extra -e- is inserted before the ending for du and er/sie/es, to make pronunciation easier: arbeiten (to work) → du arbeitest (not “arbeitst”), er arbeitet (not “arbeitt”).
Practice Questions
1. Conjugate “spielen” for “ich.”
View Answer
spiele
2. Conjugate “spielen” for “du.”
View Answer
spielst
3. Conjugate “spielen” for “wir.”
View Answer
spielen
4. Conjugate “spielen” for “ihr.”
View Answer
spielt
5. What are the six present-tense endings for regular verbs?
View Answer
-e, -st, -t, -en, -t, -en
6. What is inserted before the ending for “du” and “er/sie/es” if the stem ends in -d or -t?
View Answer
An extra -e-.
7. Conjugate “arbeiten” for “du,” applying this rule.
View Answer
arbeitest
8. Conjugate “arbeiten” for “er,” applying this rule.
View Answer
arbeitet
9. Why is the extra -e- inserted, according to this lesson?
View Answer
To make pronunciation easier.
10. What is the first step in conjugating any regular verb?
View Answer
Removing -en from the infinitive to get the stem.
11. Conjugate “spielen” for “er.”
View Answer
spielt
12. Is “arbeitest” or “arbeitst” the correct form for “du”?
View Answer
arbeitest