In German, verb conjugation is the process of changing a verb’s form to match the subject’s person (1st, 2nd, 3rd), number (singular or plural), tense (present, past, future), and mood (indicative, subjunctive, imperative).

Regular verbs follow a pattern: for example, the verb machen (to do/make) in the present tense is conjugated as:

ich mache (I do)
du machst (you do)
er/sie/es macht (he/she/it does)
wir machen (we do)
ihr macht (you all do)
sie/Sie machen (they/you formal do)

Irregular verbs have unique conjugations that need to be memorized. Understanding verb conjugation is key to forming correct sentences in German.

A1

Present Tense (Präsens)

A2

Perfekt (Present Perfect)

Futur I (Simple Future)

B1

Futur II (Future Perfect)

Conditional Tenses (Konditional)

Indirect Speech

Plusquamperfekt (Past Perfect)

Wishes, Hypotheticals

Present Tense (Präsens)
The German present tense, called Präsens, is used to describe current actions, general truths, and even future events.
Past Tenses
An overview of German past tenses, including Präteritum, Perfekt, and Plusquamperfekt for describing past events.
- Perfekt (Present Perfect)
  The German Perfekt (Present Perfect) tense, explaining how to form and use it with auxiliary verbs haben and sein, past participles, and word order.
- Präteritum (Simple Past)
  Präteritum (simple past) is a German verb tense used to describe actions or states that were completed in the past.
- Plusquamperfekt (Past Perfect)
  The Plusquamperfekt is the German past perfect tense, used to describe actions that happened before another past event. It combines the simple past of auxiliary verbs haben or sein with the past participle.
Future Tense
The future tense in German is used to talk about actions that will happen. It’s formed using the auxiliary verb werden and the infinitive of the main verb.
- Futur I (Simple Future)
  German future tense called Futur I, showing “will” or “going to” actions using werden + infinitive.
- Futur II (Future Perfect)
  Futur II in German expresses an action that will have been completed by a certain point in the future. It’s formed with “werden” + past participle + “sein” or “haben” (in final position).
Conditional Tenses (Konditional)
Conditional tenses in German, explaining how to express hypothetical situations, wishes, and polite requests using the German Konditional.
Subjunctive Mood (Konjunktiv I & II)
The subjunctive mood in German, known as Konjunktiv, is used for indirect speech, hypothetical situations, and expressing wishes or politeness.
- Indirect Speech
  Indirect Speech in German and English, including how to report statements, questions, and commands using konjunktiv I and preparatory phrases.
- Wishes, Hypotheticals
  Explanation of how to express wishes and hypothetical situations in German using the subjunctive mood (Konjunktiv II). Includes rules and examples for forming and using these constructions. wishes, hypotheticals, subjunctive, Konjunktiv II, German grammar

Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025

German

Verb Conjugation

A1

A2

B1

Table of Contents