A verb is the word that describes the action in a sentence. It can describe something that happens (I eat/we learn), movement to a place (he runs/she flies), or a state of being (they are sick/I become tired). German verbs have to be conjugated, meaning they require specific endings depending upon what subject is using them. This occurs in English, too, primarily in the present tense. For example, you say “I see” but “he sees.” The third person singular in English requires an -s ending on most verbs. The verb “to be” has an even more complicated conjugation: I am, you are, he is, we are, they are. In the other tenses, English verbs tend not to have conjugational endings. In the past tense, all the persons have the same form: I had/he had, we spoke/he spoke. But the verb “to be” is an exception: I was, you were, he was, we were, they were.

German also has conjugational endings, but unlike English, these endings are required for all persons and in all tenses. The basic form of a verb is the infinitive. English infinitives begin with particle word “to,” for example: to come, to sing, to have, to bring. In German, many infinitives end in -en, for example: kommen, singen, haben, bringen. Some infinitives end in -n: sein (to be), tun (to do).

In order to conjugate a German verb, you have to drop the infinitive ending (-n or -en) and add the appropriate endings. Those endings are determined by the number, person, voice, mood, and tense of the verb in a sentence. At first glance, you may feel that German conjugations are quite complicated, but you will discover that the conjugations follow very consistent patterns.

Number, Person, Subject Pronouns

In order to conjugate verbs, you need to be acquainted with the subject pronouns. Number refers to singular or plural. Person is defined as first person, second person, and third person. Therefore, subject pronouns are described as first person singular (I) and plural (we), second person singular and plural (you), and third person singular (he, she, it) and plural (they). The German subject pronouns are: