This lesson covers the regular verb conjugation in the German indicative mood, focusing on endings like kauf**e** (ich), kauf**st** (du), kauf**t** (er/sie/es). Learn special cases such as insertion of -e- in verbs ending with -d/-t (arbeiten) and the reduced -s in verbs like heißen (du heißt).
ich kaufe (I buye)wir kaufen (we buyen)
du kaufst (you buyst)ihr kauft (you buyt)
er/sie/es kauft (he/she/it buys)sie kaufen (they buyen)

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 introduces you to the conjugation patterns of regular German verbs in the present indicative tense. You will learn how to change verbs to match different subjects such as ich (I), du (you singular informal), er/sie/es (he/she/it), as well as plural forms like wir (we), ihr (you plural informal), and sie (they).

Basic Conjugation Pattern

Regular verbs in German follow a predictable pattern. Consider the verb kaufen (to buy). The endings change depending on the subject:

ich kaufewir kaufen
du kaufstihr kauft
er/sie/es kauftsie kaufen

Special Cases with Verbs Ending in -d or -t

For verbs ending in -d or -t like arbeiten (to work), an -e- is inserted before the endings for du, er/sie/es, and ihr to make pronunciation easier:

  • du arbeitest
  • er arbeitet
  • ihr arbeitet

Verbs Ending in -s, -ß, -x, -z

For verbs such as heißen (to be called), which end in -s or similar sounds, the usual -st ending for du loses the s for smoother pronunciation:

  • du heißt (not heißt)

Important Vocabulary and Expressions

  • kaufen — to buy
  • arbeiten — to work
  • heißen — to be called (name)

These verbs are great examples to get comfortable with regular verb conjugations and their small variations depending on endings.

Differences Between English and German Verb Conjugation

Unlike English, where many verb forms remain the same for different subjects (except for the third person singular), German verb conjugation varies more notably for each subject pronoun. For example, ich kaufe (I buy) and du kaufst (you buy) have distinctly different endings. Also, German inserts vowels in some cases for easier pronunciation, which is less common in English.

Useful phrases for practice include:

  • Ich kaufe — I buy
  • Du arbeitest — You work
  • Er heißt Max — He is called Max

Understanding these patterns helps build a solid foundation in German communication.

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Sophie Schmidt

International Administration Management

Würzburger Dolmetscherschule

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Last Updated:

Friday, 17/10/2025 00:42