Strong verbs form the past tense by changing the root vowel - by ablaut. But different strong verbs have different root vowels, for example:
| infinitive | preterite | communion II |
|---|---|---|
| schreiben- write | schrieb | geschrieben |
| finden- find | fand | funden |
| nehmen- take | nahm | genommen |
| sehen- see | sah | gesehen |
| laufen- run away | life | gelaufen |
It turns out that the main forms of strong verbs need to be memorized. Having come to this conclusion, everyone is somehow thoughtful. It, of course - must be memorized, and of course, by heart. You can't walk around Germany with your grammar forever open or with a plastic cheat sheet. "Moment mal..." - I supposedly needed Partizip II from such and such a verb...
And then everything goes differently. Some people manage to master everything, others limit themselves to the most common verbs, others periodically make some attempts (with an interval of several days to several years) and, as a result, every time they put the textbook down with a sigh, because "all this is simply impossible to learn." And this is quite natural. You might think that those who learn everything right away have the strongest will or the best memory. But I met people with a developed will and an excellent memory who once started learning German and still do not know strong verbs properly. It's not about will or memory, but about motivation. If you really need a language, you will quickly learn everything you need, including the notorious strong verbs. If you need the language to some extent, you will learn the verbs to some extent. If you don’t have any reason to put any effort into it at all, you will only learn what will be retained in your memory by itself.
In dictionaries and grammars, the basic forms of strong verbs are usually given in alphabetical order. For viewing it is convenient, but for studying - you can't imagine worse. Imagine that you are memorizing all the words from the dictionary in alphabetical order: a month - with the letter "A", another - with the letter "B", the third - with the letter "C", and so on. Just like in Conan Doyle's story "The Red-Headed Union", the crooks gave a man the task of rewriting the Encyclopædia Britannica. So it is with the list of verbs in alphabetical order: the natural resistance of the mind.
How then to approach this list? Very simple. Strong verbs are historically distributed not alphabetically, but according to the rows of ablaut, that is, according to certain patterns of changing the root vowel. For example:
Knowing this, you can easily form the basic forms of the verb bl ei ben- stay:bl ei ben-bl ie b - gebl ie ben.
And the strong verb heißen - be called, be called- also here? Unfortunately no! It historically belongs to a different series and forms the main forms as follows:
For these verbs, the pattern is as follows: the vowel in the infinitive is the same as the vowel in the participle II, and in the preterite it appears ie .
Therefore, it is most convenient to sort strong verbs into rows, as, in fact, they exist in the language. Seeing the diagram of each row, you can understand the principle of the formation of basic shapes. And how many verbs from each row you need - again depends on motivation. Within each row, the verbs are arranged alphabetically, making it easier for you to search for the right cases.
For good command of the language, all verbs are memorized. Being engaged in rows of strong verbs properly, it takes some time (at least several days) to master each row, even with excellent memory. When you have mastered all the rows, check yourself - cover all the forms with a sheet of paper, except for the infinitive, and go through the rows in random order.
If you obviously do not need some verbs, then mark the most necessary positions in the list and learn only them. By the way, some very rare verbs in this list are omitted. On the other hand, don't be too quick to thin out the list too much. For example, according to textbooks, "to throw away" (about garbage, etc.) in German is wégwerfen (a strong verb with a separable prefix). Meanwhile, the Germans very often say wégschmeißen - throw out(also a strong verb and also with a separable prefix). A good reason to learn both verbs.
In any case, you should learn like this: “singen - sang - gesungen, springen - sprang - gesprungen”, etc., each time building a chain of three basic forms. Memorizing the list vertically is pointless!
Here are the ablaut rows of strong verbs. Some series are divided into subtypes a) or b) depending on the length or shortness of the vowel and other specific conditions. A short vowel is indicated by a bow (eg ĭ), a long vowel by a colon (eg i:). Verbs with separable and inseparable prefixes, formed from those given below, are not specially considered. For example, ábbiegen - go around forms basic forms like biegen - bend, verbieten- forbid- like bieten - offer etc.
| infinitive | preterite | communion II | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ROW | |||
| a) ei | ĭ | ĭ | |
| beissen | bite | biss | gebissen |
| bleichen | bleach | Blich | geblichen |
| gleichen | to resemble, to be like | glich | geglichen |
| gleiten | slide | glitter | geglitten |
| greifen | grab hold of | griff | gegriffen |
| leiden | suffer | litt | gelitten |
| pfeifen | whistle | pfiff | gepfiffen |
| reissen | tear, break | riss | gerissen |
| reiten | jump, ride | ritt | Geritten |
| Schleichen | steal | schlich | geschlichen |
| Schleifen | grind | schliff | geschliffen |
| schmeissen | throw, toss | schmiss | geschmissen |
| Schneiden | cut | Schnitt | geschnitten |
| schreiten | step | schritt | geschritten |
| spleissen | to prick, split | splash | gesplissen |
| streichen | stroke, touch; paint | strich | gestrichen |
| streiten | argue | stritt | gestritten |
| weichen | yield; retreat | wich | gewichen |
| b) ei | i: (= ie) | i: (= ie) | |
| bleiben | stay | blieb | geblieben |
| gedeihen | prosper | gedieh | gediehen |
| leihen | borrow, borrow | lieh | geliehen |
| meiden | avoid | mied | gemieden |
| preisen | praise | pries | gepriesen |
| reiben | rub | rieb | gerieben |
| Scheiden | separate breed(Hence sich scheiden - divorce; participle II geschieden means divorced / divorced. Just like the verb scheiden, the verb entscheiden (sich) forms the main forms - decide).) | schied | geschieden |
| chainen | shine seem | schien | geschienen |
| schreiben | write | schrieb | geschrieben |
| schreien | scream | schrie | geschrien |
| schweigen | be silent | schwieg | geschwiegen |
| speien | spit(The verb speien - spit used in classical literature. In everyday life, they usually say spucken (this is a weak verb).) | spie | gespien |
| Steigen | get up | stieg | gestiegen |
| Steigen | drive; do smth. | trieb | getrieben |
| verzeihen | forgive | verzieh | verziehen |
| Weisen | indicate | wies | gewiesen |
| 2 ROW | |||
| a) ie | o: | o: | |
| biegen | bend | god | gebogen |
| beaten | offer | bot | geboten |
| erkiesen | elect(A high-style verb. In modern language, the meaning of "choose, choose" is conveyed by the weak verb wählen.) | erkor | erkoren |
| fliegen | fly | flog | geflogen |
| fliehen | flee | floh | geflohen |
| frieren | freeze | fror | gefroren |
| schieben | move, move away | scob | geschoben |
| verlieren | lose | verlor | verloren |
| wiegen | weigh; to weight | wog | gewogen |
| b) ie | ŏ | ŏ | |
| flyessen | flow | floss | geflossen |
| geniessen | enjoy | genoss | genossen |
| gießen | pour | goss | gegossen |
| kriechen | crawl | kroch | gekrochen |
| riechen (nach etw.) | smell like smth. | roch | gerochen |
| schiessen | fire | Schoss | geschossen |
| schließen | lock; conclude | schloss | geschlossen |
| siten | boil; boil | sott | gesotten |
| spriessen | sprout | demand | gesprossen |
| triefen | hit (on target) | troff | getroffen |
| verdriessen | annoy | verdross | verdrossen |
| c) e/a/au/o/ä/ö | ŏ/o: | ŏ/o: (depending on the verb) | |
| bewegen | move | bewog | bewogen |
| fechten | fencing, fighting | focht | gefochten |
| flechten | weave | float | geflochten |
| gaen | wander (about beer, etc.) | gor | gegoren |
| heben | lift up | hob | gehoben |
| loschen | extinguish, extinguish | loss | geloschen |
| lugen | lie, lie | log | gelogen |
| melken | milk | molk | gemolken |
| pflegen | look after, groom; to be in the habit | pflog | hepflogen |
| quellen | bubbling, flowing | quoll | gequollen |
| Saufen | get drunk | soff | gesoffen |
| saugen | suck | sog | gesogen |
| schallen | sound, resound | scholl | geschollen |
| scheren | cut | schor | geschoren |
| schmelzen | melt, melt | schmolz | geschmolzen |
| Schnauben | sniff, snort | schnob | geschnoben |
| schwellen | to swell | schwoll | geschwollen |
| trugen | deceive | trog | getrogen |
| wagen | weigh | wog | gewogen |
| 3 ROW | |||
| a) ě (+ r/l + consonant) | ă | ŏ | |
| bergen | hide(For the verbs of this and subsequent rows (and some verbs of the 2nd row) in the 2nd and 3rd liter of the present tense e > i(du birgst, er birgt; du giltst, er gilt, etc.).) | barg | geborgen |
| gelten | to be valid, to be considered, to be reputed | galt | gegolten |
| schelten | scold | schalt | gescholten |
| Stechen | sting, prick | stach | gestochen |
| sterben | die | starb | gestorben |
| verderben | spoil | verdarb | verdorben |
| werben | recruit, recruit | warb | geworben |
| werfen | throw | warf | geworfen |
| b) ĕ | a: | ŏ | |
| Brechen | break, break | brach | gebrochen |
| erschrecken | frighten | erschrak | erschrocken |
| sprechen | speak, talk | sprach | gesprochen |
| treffen | meet | traffic | getroffen |
| c)e: | a: | o: | |
| befehlen | order | befahl | befohlen |
| empfehlen | recommend | empfahl | empfohlen |
| gebaren | give birth, give birth | gebar | geboren |
| comment | come | cam | gekommen |
| nehmen | take | nahm | genommen |
| Stehlen | steal | stahl | gestohlen |
| 4 ROW | |||
| a) ĭ (+ nn/mm) | ă | ŏ | |
| beginnen | start off) | begann | begonnen |
| gewinnen | win, win | gewann | gewonnen |
| rinnen | run, run, flow | rann | geronnen |
| Schwimmen | to swim | schwamm | geschwommen |
| spinnen | spin | spann | gesponnen |
| b) ĭ (+ n + consonant) | ă | ŭ | |
| binden | bind | band | gebunden |
| dringen | press insist | drang | gedrungen |
| finden | find | fand | funden |
| gellingen | succeed | gelang | gelungen |
| klingen | sound | klang | geklungen |
| ringen | fight | rank | gerungen |
| singen | sing | sang | gesungen |
| sinken | fall fall | sank | gesunken |
| springen | jump | sprang | gesprungen |
| stinken | stink | stank | gestunken |
| trinken | drink | trank | getrunken |
| verschwinden | disappear | verschwand | verschwunden |
| zwingen | compel, force | zwang | gezwungen |
| 5 ROW | |||
| a) e: | a: | e: | |
| geben | give | gab | gegeben |
| genesen | recover | genes | genesen |
| Geschehen | happen, happen | geschah | Geschehen |
| lesen | read | las | gelesen |
| sehen | watch, see | sah | gesehen |
| b) ĕ | a: | ĕ | |
| essen | there is | aß | gegessen |
| fressen | eat (about animals); eat | frass | gefressen |
| messen | measure | mass | gemessen |
| vergessen | forget | vergas | vergessen |
| treten | step on, step on | spend | getreten |
| c) ĭ | a: | e:/ĕ | |
| bitten | ask | bat | gebeten |
| liegen | lie | lag | gelegen |
| sitzen | sit | sass | gesessen |
| 6 ROW | |||
| ă/a: | a: | ă/a: | |
| backen | bake(For verbs of the 6th and 7th rows in the 2nd and 3rd literal present tense a > ä(du bäckst, er bäckt, etc.).) | book | gebacken |
| fahren | drive | fuhr | gefahren |
| graben | dig | grub | gegraben |
| laden | load, load | lud | geladen |
| schaffen | create(One should distinguish between the strong verb schaffen (schuf - geschaffen) - create, create and the weak verb schaffen (schaffte - geschafft) - succeed, succeed.) | Schuf | geschaffen |
| schlagen | beat | schlug | geschlagen |
| tragen | carry, wear | trug | getragen |
| wachsen ["vaksən] | grow | wuchs | gewachsen |
| waschen | wash, wash | wusch | gewaschen |
| 7 ROW | |||
| a/au/o/u/e | (= ie)/ĭ | a/au/o/u/e (= infinitive vowel) | |
| Blasen | blow | blies | geblasen |
| brother | fry | briet | gebraten |
| fangen | catch | fing | gefangen |
| fallen | fall | fiel | gefallen |
| hangen | hang(One should distinguish between the strong verb hängen (hing - gehangen) - hang and the weak verb hängen (hängte - gehängt) - hang) | hing | gehangen |
| halten | Keep | Hielt | gehalten |
| howen | chop | hieb | gehauen |
| heissen | be called, be called | hieß | geheissen |
| lassen | leave, allow | ließ | gelassen |
| laufen | run away | life | gelaufen |
| raten | advise | riet | geraten |
| Rufen | shout, call | rief | gerufen |
| schlafen | sleep | schlief | geschlafen |
| stossen | push | stiß | gestossen |
The orthography of the preterite and participle forms II has developed historically. Forms with short vowel + ss used to be written with ß (you can still find such spellings in books published before 1998). The letter ß is preserved where it is preceded by a long vowel or diphthong. Sometimes the preterite and participle II forms differ from the infinitive: for example, schneiden ( cut) - schnitt - geschnitten. In some cases, there are also serious discrepancies: for example, hauen ( chop) - hieb - gehauen. However, those who have studied English accept English spelling and forms of English irregular verbs such as write - wrote - written, catch - caught - caught, etc. as a given. In the same way, one must approach the German rows of strong verbs!
Conjugate verbs in many languages
There are many verbs in every language, and how to conjugate them can vary from language to language. That's why it's important to have a handy tool that shows the full conjugation of verbs, making learning faster and more efficient. Whether it's a regular or irregular verb, bab.la's conjugations have an extensive database of verbs in all grammatical forms. You will quickly find the one you need. On the main page, you can see an overview of all available languages, and by selecting the one you need, you can start learning how to conjugate verbs. What's more, you can even view a list of the most commonly used verbs in the language you're learning.All verb forms at a glance
If you are looking for a specific verb that does not appear on this list, you can search for it in a different way. Just select a given language and enter the verb you are looking for in the search bar. At the top of the page you will see the infinitive form and two other forms of the verb, different depending on the language, and then the full conjugation in all tenses and moods (indicative, conditional and imperative). At the bottom you can find the infinitive, participle, gerund or other forms of the verb in question and the translation into your source language.Conjugation of verbs without problems
You may have heard that verb conjugation is one of the hardest parts of grammar in many languages, but you need to learn it if you want to speak fluently in a given language. However, verb conjugation is easier than you think. Regular verbs are fairly easy in most languages, so you will learn them very quickly. On the other hand, irregular verbs are a different story, but that doesn't mean that learning their conjugation is an impossible mission. Like everything in life, it's a matter of practice and timing. As long as you really want to learn a foreign language and you have useful tools, this goal is very close!When studying the German (German) language, great attention has to be paid to verbs (verb), since the verb. is the center of any suggestions. He is often compared to a conductor in an orchestra, since the presence or absence of additional members and their place in the sentence depend on him.
For those who have recently started learning German, it may seem complicated and confusing, and its verb system - the invention of a rare misanthrope. For example, three forms (f-we) of German verbs. Many are perplexed why instead of one verb. (the infinitive given in the dictionary) you have to learn 3 forms at once. We hope our article will help you figure it out.
So, everyone is dumb. vb. has three functions: infinitive, imperfect (Präteritum) and participle (Partizip II). Strictly speaking, every verb. has many more forms than these three, but they will be discussed. Those who are familiar with English grammar will find it a little easier, since these forms are similar in the two languages.
Everything is more or less clear with the infinitive, this function is in the dictionary, all functions of the present and future tense are formed from it: machen, spielen, studieren, verkaufen, einkaufen.
Imperfect (Präteritum) is the past tense commonly used in written German. From the basis of the imperfect (the second f-we), personal f-we of verbs are formed in this past tense (with the help of personal verb endings).
It is also formed from the infinitive with the help of a special suffix -t- and endings. If the word has a separable prefix (adj.), then it is taken out separately.
However, this is only true for weak verbs. As for strong verbs. and verb. mixed conjugation (irregular), then for them the f-mu of the imperfect must be looked at in a special table (see below).
Mach-en - mach-t-e, spiel-en - spiel-t-e, studieren - studier-t-e, verkauf-en - verkauf-t-e, ein-kauf-en - kauf-t-e ein,
Accordingly, the 2nd form of these verbs: machte, spielte, studierte, verkaufte, kaufte ein.
Past participles (Partizip II) are used as independent parts of speech (passive participles), as well as to form the passive voice, the past tenses Perfekt and Plusquamperfekt and the future tense Futurum II.
These participles are also formed from the infinitive, with the help of adjectives. ge- and the -t suffix.
Mach-en - ge-mach-t, spiel-en - ge-spiel-t.
NOTES!!!
- These f-we do not have verbal endings.
- If in vb. there is a suffix -ier-, then adj. ge- is not added. Stud-ier-en - studier-t, buchstab-ier-en - buchstab-ier-t.
- If verb. begin with inseparable prefix (be-, ge-, er-, ver-, zer-, ent-, emp-,miss and some others), then adj. ge- not added. Ver kauf-en - verkauf-t, be suchen - besuch-t.
- If verb. begins with a separable prefix, then the prefix. ge- is placed between adj. and root. Ein-kauf-en - ein-ge -kauf-t, auf-räum-en - auf-ge -räum-t.
Accordingly, the third f-ma verb: gemacht, gespielt, studiert, verkauft, eingekauft.
That's all you need to know to form three f-we it. verbs. Of course, a little more practice will not hurt, but you already have the theory.
As for strong and irregular (irregular) verbs, they are easier to learn in the table. You can find a table with only 3 functions, or a table with 4. Don't be alarmed, this is not some new confusing form. In fact, in such tables, the f-ma of the 3rd sheet is placed in a separate column. singular (i.e. f-ma for he/she/it). Just in the roots of some German verbs. there is an alternation, so it is easier for beginners to learn ready-made f-we.
Since two verbs are used as auxiliary in the past tense Perfekt. haben and sein (for the verb movement, change of state and the verb bleiben), then we recommend learning the third function together with the auxiliary verb. All this is reflected in our table.
German 3 forms of the verb is the most important topic when learning this language.
In German, verbs have 3 special forms. These three basic forms underlie the formation of all temporary forms. So, let's list these forms.
Infinitiv or the indefinite form of the verb, then Imperfekt is the past tense form, namely the indicative mood. And, finally, Partizip II is a form of the past, but already the subjunctive mood.
For those who are interested in the topic German language 3 forms of the verb, we also recommend reading the materials:
Let's start with the infinitive form. The indefinite form or the infinitive is the form of the verb in the dictionary. Most often in German, this form of most verbs ends in "en".
This is the easiest form, because nothing needs to be changed in it. A verb is in the infinitive form when:
It is not the main verb and stands at the end of the sentence, while the main or semantic verb changes the ending, and the second verb remains unchanged.
- used in the present tense when politely addressing "Sie" or to many people (meaning an expression like "wollen wir ...").
- as well as when using some infinitive constructions.
The table contains six verbs with translation and example. In this case, all the verbs in the sentences are in the infinitive form.
The second basic form is the form in the imperfect. "Imperfekt" is the name of the lightest of the past tenses in German. Most often it finds its application in the literature. Also used with Plusquamperfekt for sentences reflecting actions in the past tense.
Here, of all the verbs, a separate group can be distinguished. These are the so-called compound verbs. The rest are called simple. Simple ones form their form by assigning a suffix, and strong ones by changing the root vowel.
The first two verbs, malen and tanzen, are simple verbs that form their imperfect form by adding the ending "-te". The next four verbs are conjugated as strong. A distinctive feature of the strong group of verbs is the change in the root vowel at the root of the word.
The last form, Partizip II, is most often used to form the compound past tense. All weak verbs add the prefix "ge" and the suffix "t" to form this form. Strong verbs, as in the formation of Imperfekt, change their root vowel, but, like weak ones, they add "ge" and most often the suffix "en". Imperfect verb forms and Partizip II strong verb forms need to be known by heart.
It should be noted that some verbs omit the prefix "ge" when forming the third form.
This happens if they have either one of the inseparable prefixes (note the verb verstehen in the table) or the special "-ieren" suffix (for example, Haben Sie vorgestern meine Hausaufgabe korrigiert?)
The table below shows the forms of the given tense for the verbs under consideration and provides simple examples using the perfect.
So, as you can see, the topic German 3 forms of the verb will always be in demand when using any tense.