> A comprehensive overview of German regular verb conjugations, endings, and examples across tenses.
Regular verbs in German follow a predictable pattern for creating their stem and adding endings. Most verbs that are not irregular or stem-changing fall into this category. Understanding these rules allows you to conjugate thousands of common verbs confidently.
- German regular verbs end in -en (e.g., spielen)
- The stem is found by removing -en (e.g., spiel-)
- Endings are added to the stem depending on tense and subject
- Regular verb rules apply in all finite forms except Partizip II, which uses -ge- prefix and -t ending
Conjugation Patterns
Regular verb endings depend on the pronoun and tense. Below are the principal tenses:
Present Tense (Präsens)
Use for: actions happening now, general truths, routines.
| German Pronoun | German Ending | Example: spielen (to play) | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ich | -e | ich spiele | I play |
| du | -st | du spielst | you play (singular informal) |
| er/sie/es | -t | er spielt | he plays |
| wir | -en | wir spielen | we play |
| ihr | -t | ihr spielt | you play (plural informal) |
| sie/Sie | -en | sie spielen | they/you play (formal) |
Simple Past (Präteritum)
Use for: completed actions in the past (mostly in writing).
| German Pronoun | German Ending | Example: spielen (to play) | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ich | -te | ich spielte | I played |
| du | -test | du spieltest | you played |
| er/sie/es | -te | er spielte | he played |
| wir | -ten | wir spielten | we played |
| ihr | -tet | ihr spieltet | you played |
| sie/Sie | -ten | sie spielten | they/you played |
Past Participle (Partizip II)
Use for: forming Perfekt and Plusquamperfekt.
| Form | Example: spielen |
|---|---|
| Partizip II | gespielt |
Formation: ge- + stem + -t
- No prefix "-ge-" for verbs starting with be-, ent-, ver-
Perfect Tense (Perfekt)
Use for: spoken past, completed actions.
| Auxiliary Verb | Past Participle | Example |
|---|---|---|
| haben | gespielt | Ich habe gespielt. (I have played.) |
Future Tense (Futur I)
Use for: actions that will happen.
| Auxiliary Verb | Infinitive | Example |
|---|---|---|
| werden | spielen | Ich werde spielen. (I will play.) |
Common Mistakes
- Wrong stem ending for 'du' and 'er/sie/es'—stop adding extra -e- unless necessary.
- du spielst (not spielest)
- er spielt (not spiele)
- For verbs ending in -d or -t, add an extra -e- before the ending in du, er/sie/es, and ihr forms.
- ich arbeite (not arbeitte in Präsens)
- du arbeitest
- er arbeitet
- Do not add 'ge-' prefix in Partizip II for verbs with inseparable prefixes (be-, ent-, ver-, er-, etc.).
- be- → besucht (not gebesucht)
- ver- → verkauft (not geverkauft)
- Avoid using Präteritum for regular verbs in speech; use Perfekt instead.
Examples
Present Tense
- Ich spiele Fußball. (I play soccer.)
- Du lernst Deutsch. (You learn German.)
- Wir kochen zusammen. (We cook together.)
Simple Past
- Ich spielte gestern Tennis. (I played tennis yesterday.)
- Er hörte Musik. (He listened to music.)
- Ihr machtet eure Hausaufgaben. (You did your homework.)
Past Participle and Perfect
- Ich habe gespielt. (I have played.)
- Sie hat gearbeitet. (She has worked.)
- Wir haben gelernt. (We have learned.)
Future Tense
- Ich werde morgen spielen. (I will play tomorrow.)
- Wir werden reisen. (We will travel.)
- Du wirst schreiben. (You will write.)
Summary
- German regular verbs follow the stem + ending pattern.
- Present and simple past endings are consistent.
- Past participle uses ge- + stem + -t (except with inseparable prefixes).
- Use haben auxiliary for most regular verbs in Perfekt.
- Add extra -e- before endings if stem ends in -d or -t.
- Use Futur I with werden + infinitive.
Mastering regular verb conjugations is a huge step toward fluency!
Last updated: Sat May 31, 2025
