Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn how to conjugate regular German verbs in the indicative mood, focusing on endings like -e, -st, and -en with examples such as kaufen (to buy) and arbeiten (to work), including pronunciation rules for verbs ending in -d, -t, and special cases like heißen.

Regelmäßige Verben (Regular verbs)

Ich kaufeWir kaufen
Du kaufstIhr kauft
Er/Sie/Es kauftSie kaufen

Exceptions!

  1. Verbs ending in -d or -t (e.g. arbeiten): → In the cases of „du“, „er/sie/es“ and „ihr“, an -e- is inserted to make pronunciation easier -> du arbeitest, er arbeitet, ihr arbeitet
  2. Verbs ending in -s, -ß, -x, -z (e.g. heißen): → In the case of „du“ the additional -s in the ending is dropped: du heißt (not heißst)

Exercise 1: Konjugation der regelmäßigen Verben im Indikativ

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

sagt, kommen, heiße, verstehen, heißt, zählt, sagst, versteht

1. Heißen:
: Deine Tochter ... Juliette.
(Your daughter is called Juliette.)
2. Verstehen:
: Wir ... deine Eltern nicht.
(We do not understand your parents.)
3. Kommen:
: Wir ... aus Frankreich.
(We come from France.)
4. Zählen:
: Ihr ... von 1 bis 100.
(You count from 1 to 100.)
5. Sagen:
: Du ... etwas auf Deutsch.
(You say something in German.)
6. Verstehen:
: Ihr Bruder ... den Satz nicht.
(Her brother does not understand the sentence.)
7. Heißen:
: Ich ... Johanna.
(My name is Johanna.)
8. Sagen:
: Ihr ... etwas Interessantes.
(You say something interesting.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. ___ Vater ist Ingenieur und arbeitet in einem Büro.

(___ father is an engineer and works in an office.)

2. ___ Schwester kauft oft frisches Obst auf dem Markt.

(___ sister often buys fresh fruit at the market.)

3. ___ Hund heißt Max und ist sehr freundlich.

(___ dog is called Max and is very friendly.)

4. Er kauft ___ Zeitung immer morgens an der Ecke.

(He buys ___ newspaper always in the morning on the corner.)

5. Ich besuche morgen ___ Großeltern in Berlin.

(I will visit ___ grandparents in Berlin tomorrow.)

6. ___ Kind spielt gerne im Park neben dem Haus.

(___ child likes to play in the park next to the house.)

Conjugation of Regular Verbs in the Indicative Mood

This lesson focuses on understanding how to conjugate regular verbs in the German indicative mood, a fundamental part of forming basic sentences at an A1 (beginner) level.

Regular Verbs and Their Endings

Regular German verbs follow a predictable pattern, which makes them manageable even for beginners. Below is the conjugation pattern for a typical verb like kaufen (to buy):

Ich kaufeWir kaufen
Du kaufstIhr kauft
Er/Sie/Es kauftSie kaufen

Important Pronunciation Rules with Specific Verbs

There are some exceptions to keep the pronunciation smooth:

  • For verbs ending in -d or -t (e.g., arbeiten), an extra -e- is inserted before certain endings to ease pronunciation:

du arbeitest, er arbeitet, ihr arbeitet

  • For verbs ending in -s, , -x, or -z (e.g., heißen), the extra -s in the du form is dropped for pronunciation reasons:

du heißt (not heißst)

Useful Phrases to Practice

Examples like Mein Vater ist Ingenieur und arbeitet in einem Büro (My father is an engineer and works in an office) or Er kauft seine Zeitung immer morgens an der Ecke (He always buys his newspaper in the morning on the corner) help you see these verb forms in context.

Differences Between English Instructions and German Usage

Unlike English, German verb conjugation changes with the person and number, which influences the verb endings. This step is essential even for regular verbs. Also, German requires attention to verb stem endings and inserts vowels where necessary for correct pronunciation, a feature not present in English conjugation.

Here are some useful words and their English equivalents:

  • arbeiten – to work
  • kaufen – to buy
  • heißen – to be called
  • ich – I
  • du – you (informal singular)
  • er/sie/es – he/she/it
  • wir – we
  • ihr – you (informal plural)
  • sie/Sie – they/you (formal)

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Sophie Schmidt

International Administration Management

Würzburger Dolmetscherschule

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Last Updated:

Thursday, 17/07/2025 08:31