Präsens (Present Tense)

Used for current actions, habits, general truths, and future events with a time marker.

Use Präsens for:

• Actions happening right now: Ich lerne Deutsch.
• Habitual or repeated actions: Er trinkt jeden Morgen Kaffee.
• Future events with a time marker: Ich komme morgen. (more natural than Futur I in speech)

Regular Conjugation

Remove -en from the infinitive, add the personal ending. Endings are color-coded so the -e / -st / -t / -en pattern is visible at a glance.

Verbs Requiring -e- Insertion

Verbs whose stems end in -d, -t, or a consonant cluster (-m, -n after another consonant) add an -e- before the -st and -t endings:

Stem-Changing Verbs

Some verbs change their stem vowel in du and er/sie/es forms.

sein, haben, werden

The three most important irregular verbs. sein is fully irregular — note where coloring drops out (the form doesn't end in a recognizable ending).

Reflexive Verbs

Reflexive verbs also conjugate in Präsens. They require a reflexive pronoun that matches the subject. See Reflexivpronomen.

• Ich wasche mich. (I wash myself.)
• Er freut sich. (He is happy.)

Examples