The present tense describes actions that are happening now, happen regularly, or are generally valid. It is formed with the stem and present tense endings. Auxiliary verbs such as 'to be' and 'to have' are irregular in the present. The present tense can also be used for future events with a time indication.

The present perfect expresses completed actions in the present with reference to the result. It is formed with 'have' or 'to be' in the present tense followed by the past participle. Movement verbs and verbs of change of state usually take 'to be'. Many common verbs have irregular past participles.

The simple past (Präteritum) is used for narratives, reports, and written language. In everyday speech it is often used together with 'to be', 'to have' and modal verbs. Regular verbs form the simple past with -te, while strong verbs often involve a stem change. The simple past can carry entire narratives in the past.

Future I expresses future plans, predictions and suppositions. It is formed with 'werden' in the present tense and the infinitive. Often the present tense with a time expression substitutes for Future I in everyday use. Future I is used more formally and clearly to indicate intention or prognosis.

Modal verbs express possibility, necessity, permission, desire, or ability. After a modal verb, the main verb infinitive goes to the end of the sentence. Modals are irregular in the present and simple past. They change the meaning of the sentence, not the time form itself.

Separable-prefix verbs move the prefix to the end of the main clause. In the perfect, the prefix comes before the past participle II. In subordinate clauses, the verb stays together with its prefix. The emphasis in separable verbs is usually on the prefix.

In the German main clause, the finite verb is in position 2. The subject often precedes the finite verb, but can be replaced by another sentence element. Information such as time, reason, or place can introduce the sentence. In subordinate clauses, the finite verb is at the end of the sentence.

Many verbs require a fixed preposition and a specific case in German. The meaning can change with the preposition. With 'auf' the accusative often follows, with 'mit' the dative. Learn the combination of the verb and preposition as a unit.

'Have' expresses possession, states, and many activities. 'Be' describes identity, properties, condition, and movement with a goal. In the perfect, typical movement verbs such as 'gehen' and 'kommen' take the auxiliary 'sein'. 'Have' is one of the most common verbs in everyday use.

Strong verbs form the simple past and the past participle with stem changes, not with '-te'. In the perfect, the past participle is at the end of the sentence. Some of the most common strong verbs are 'go', 'come', 'see', and 'find'. These forms are used often in everyday speech and should become automatic.