Irregular (strong) verbs in German are verbs that change their stem vowels when they are conjugated in certain tenses (such as past tense and subjunctive) and in their past participle forms. These stem vowel changes help convey grammatical meaning and are crucial for correct usage in both spoken and written German.
Unlike regular (weak) verbs that simply add “-te” for the past tense, strong verbs:
- Change their stem vowels (e.g., sprechen → sprach, sehen → sah).
- Form their past participles with the prefix ge- and the suffix -en (e.g., gesprochen, gesehen).
- May also change vowels in the 2nd and 3rd person singular forms in the present tense (e.g., du fährst, er fährt).
Patterns of Vowel Changes
Strong verbs can be grouped by their vowel change patterns. Here are some common examples:
. i → a → u
| Infinitive | Present (3rd Singular) | Simple Past | Past Participle | Example Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| finden | er findet | fand | gefunden | to find |
| singen | sie singt | sang | gesungen | to sing |
. e → a → e
| Infinitive | Present (3rd Singular) | Simple Past | Past Participle | Example Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| geben | er gibt | gab | gegeben | to give |
| nehmen | sie nimmt | nahm | genommen | to take |
. e → i → i
| Infinitive | Present (3rd Singular) | Simple Past | Past Participle | Example Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| sprechen | er spricht | sprach | gesprochen | to speak |
| verlieren | sie verliert | verlor | verloren | to lose |
. a → u → a
| Infinitive | Present (3rd Singular) | Simple Past | Past Participle | Example Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| fahren | er fährt | fuhr | gefahren | to drive/go |
| tragen | sie trägt | trug | getragen | to carry/wear |
Common Examples of Irregular (Strong) Verbs
Here are some of the most common irregular (strong) verbs grouped by their vowel change patterns.
i → a → u (finden, singen)
| Infinitive | Present (3rd Singular) | Simple Past | Past Participle | Example Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| finden | er findet | fand | gefunden | to find |
| gelingen | es gelingt | gelang | gelungen | to succeed |
| singen | sie singt | sang | gesungen | to sing |
e → a → e (geben, nehmen)
| Infinitive | Present (3rd Singular) | Simple Past | Past Participle | Example Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| geben | er gibt | gab | gegeben | to give |
| nehmen | sie nimmt | nahm | genommen | to take |
| vergessen | er vergisst | vergaß | vergessen | to forget |
e → i → i (sprechen, verlieren)
| Infinitive | Present (3rd Singular) | Simple Past | Past Participle | Example Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| sprechen | er spricht | sprach | gesprochen | to speak |
| verlieren | sie verliert | verlor | verloren | to lose |
| vergiften | er vergiftet | vergiftete¹ | vergiftet¹ | to poison¹ |
¹ *Note: “vergiften” behaves like a regular verb in the past tense and past participle despite its irregular-looking stem vowel change in present tense.
a → u → a (fahren, tragen)
| Infinitive | Present (3rd Singular) | Simple Past | Past Participle | Example Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| fahren | er fährt | fuhr | gefahren | to drive/go |
| tragen | sie trägt | trug | getragen | to carry/wear |
| waschen | er wäscht | wusch | gewaschen | to wash |
Summary
- Irregular (strong) verbs change their stem vowels in simple past and past participle forms.
- Some also change vowels in the present tense (2nd and 3rd singular).
- Past participles take ge- prefix and -en suffix.
- These irregular forms must be memorized as they do not follow a single rule.
How do you form the past participle of the strong verb singen?
gesungen
'Singen' forms its past participle with the prefix 'ge-' and suffix '-en': 'gesungen'.
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
