Regular verbs in German are called schwache Verben (weak verbs). Their stem remains the same throughout all forms, and they follow a predictable pattern for adding endings. The stem is formed by removing -en from the infinitive.
- Example infinitive: machen (to do/make)
- Stem: mach-
Conjugations add personal endings to the stem:
- ich: -e
- du: -st
- er/sie/es: -t
- wir: -en
- ihr: -t
- sie/Sie: -en
Regular verb conjugation example: machen
| Pronoun | German Conjugation | English Example | English Conjugation | German Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ich | mache | I make / do | I make / do | Ich mache Hausaufgaben. | I do homework. |
| du | machst | You make / do | You make / do | Du machst das Essen. | You prepare the food. |
| er/sie/es | macht | He/she/it makes / does | He/she/it makes / does | Er macht einen Fehler. | He makes a mistake. |
| wir | machen | We make / do | We make / do | Wir machen einen Ausflug. | We go on a trip. |
| ihr | macht | You (pl.) make / do | You (pl.) make / do | Ihr macht viel Sport. | You (pl.) do a lot of sports. |
| sie/Sie | machen | They/You (formal) make / do | They/You (formal) make / do | Sie machen Musik. | They make music. |
Simple Past (Präteritum) Formation
Regular verbs form the simple past by adding -te to the stem, plus personal endings:
- ich -te
- du -test
- er/sie/es -te
- wir -ten
- ihr -tet
- sie/Sie -ten
Example: machen (to do)
| Pronoun | German Conjugation | English Example | English Conjugation | German Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ich | machte | I did / made | I did / made | Ich machte Hausaufgaben. | I did homework. |
| du | machtest | You did / made | You did / made | Du machtest das Essen. | You prepared the food. |
| er/sie/es | machte | He/she/it did / made | He/she/it did / made | Er machte einen Fehler. | He made a mistake. |
| wir | machten | We did / made | We did / made | Wir machten einen Ausflug. | We went on a trip. |
| ihr | machtet | You (pl.) did / made | You (pl.) did / made | Ihr machtet viel Sport. | You (pl.) did a lot of sports. |
| sie/Sie | machten | They/You (formal) did / made | They/You (formal) did / made | Sie machten Musik. | They made music. |
they made music
Sie machten Musik. (sie machen)
'Sie' (plural) takes the stem plus '-ten': 'machten.' So, 'Sie machten Musik' is correct.
I did homework
Ich machte Hausaufgaben. (ich machen)
The stem 'mach-' plus '-te' for 'ich' forms 'machte.' So, 'Ich machte Hausaufgaben' is correct.
Participle II (Past Participle)
Formed by adding ge- at the beginning and -t at the end of the stem. Used with haben for perfect tense.
- machen → gemacht
Examples:
- Ich habe Hausaufgaben gemacht. (I have done homework.)
- Er hat einen Fehler gemacht. (He has made a mistake.)
you (plural) have done a lot of sports
Ihr habt viel Sport gemacht. (haben machen)
'gemacht' is the past participle of 'machen,' used with 'habt' for perfect tense: 'Ihr habt viel Sport gemacht.'
Summary
- Stem = infinitive minus -en
- Present endings = -e, -st, -t, -en, -t, -en
- Simple past = stem + -te + personal endings
- Past participle = ge- + stem + -t
Regular verbs follow these rules consistently, making them easy to learn and use.
Flashcards (1 of 12)
- Pronoun: ich
- English Example: I do homework.
- English Conjugation: I make / do
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
