We have already talked briefly about verb conjugation, and also became acquainted with such a concept as strong, weak, mixed And Irregular Verbs.

Now we will try to understand in more detail what these concepts mean. The differences between these groups are clearly observed in past tense form (Präterium or else they call it Imperfect) And second participle (Partizip II). That's why Präteritum, Partizip II as well as Infinitive, should be considered basic forms of the German verb (die Grund – formen). Therefore, they need to be remembered like this:

Infinitiv – Präteritum – Partizip II.

1) weak: machen – machte – gemacht.

2) strong: lesen – las – gelesen.

3) mixed: kennen – kannte – gekannt.

4) modal: können – konnte – gekonnt.

5) incorrect: sein – war – gewesen.

The largest group in the German language is weak verbs (die schwachen Verben). The conjugation type of some weak verbs forms the forms of newly occurring words: das Licht (light) – ablichten (photocopy), der Saft (juice) – saften (squeeze the juice).

Let us recall that weak verbs so called because when conjugated in all tense forms, they do not change their root vowel. Präteritum is formed using the suffix -e(te), and Parizip II is formed using the prefix -ge and suffix -(e)t(added to the stem of the word):

ask: fragen – frafte – gefragt;

live: leben – lebte – gelebt;

play: spielen – spielt – gespielt.

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that in the German language there is verbs with separable and inseparable prefixes, and borrowed verbs with suffix –ieren. Verbs with inseparable prefixes and the suffix – ieren in Partizip II do not receive the prefix -ge:

change: verändern – veränderte – verändert;

interest: interessieren – interessierte – interessiert.

Now let's consider strong verbs (die starke Verben). The number of these verbs is limited, and new words are not formed by the type of conjugation of strong verbs. We remember that to strong verbs relate verbs which in Präteritum and Partizip II can change their root vowel or word form. For example, read : lesen – las – gelesen; suggest: bieten – bot – geboten.

Changes in root vowels in strong verbs are subject to a certain rule, so several main types of change can be distinguished.

Type I – root vowels in all tense forms are different:

find: finden – fand – gefunden;

to help: helfen – half – geholfen;

start off: beginnen – begann – begonnen;

lie: liegen – lag – gelegen.

Type II – root vowels in Infinitiv and Partizip II are the same:

give: geben – gab – gegeben;

drive: fahren-fuhr – gefahren;

run: laufen – lief – gelaufen.

Type III – root vowels in Präteritum and Parizip II are the same:

write: schreiben-schrieb – geschrieben;

grab: greifen – griff – gegriffen;

fly: fliegen – flog – geflogen.

Mixed verbs (die gemischten Verben)– these are verbs that have the characteristics of strong verbs (alternating root vowel) and weak verbs (suffixes -te, -t). Such verbs 8 in German:

know: kennen – kannte – gekannt;

call: nennen – nannte – genannt;

rush: rennen – rannte – gerannt;

burn: brennen – brannte – gebrannt;

send(transmit on radio/TV): senden – sandte – gesandt;

to turn(collapse): wenden – wendete – gewendet;

bring: bringen – brachte – gebracht;

think: denken – dachte – gedacht.

Deserves special attention modal verbs (Modalverben). These are verbs that they do not call the action, but only the attitude towards it. Modal verbs do not have an umlaut in Präteritum and Partizip II. Modal verbs total 6 , you can also add to them twist verb wissen ( know):

be able, have the physical ability: können – konnte – gekonnt;

be able, have permission tion: dürfen – durfte – gedurft;

must: müssen – mußte – gemußt;

should, b be obliged: sollen – sollte – gesollt;

want, have permission: wollen – wollte – gewollt;

want, desire: mögen – mochte – gemocht;

know: wissen – wußte – gewußt.

Now let's talk about irregular verbs (die unregelmäßigen Verben). You just need to remember this group of verbs, there are only 6 :

be: sein – war – gewesen;

have: haben – hatte – gehabt;

become: werden – wurde – geworden;

go: gehen – ging – gegangen;

stand: stehen – stand – gestanden;

do: tun – tat – getan.

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Verbs in German one of the most important top topics. It is very extensive and requires closer attention. In this article we will touch on verb categories.

Main characteristics and categories of the verb

Verb categories

So, verbs are 70% of the entire language. They represent actions. Knowing the mechanisms of verb functioning and being able to apply them is already “speaking” a foreign language.

What are German verbs?
Pure verb in indefinite form = the basis+ neutral ending – en(rarely just -n):

mach en = do(specifically)
tu n = do(abstract)
lach en = laugh
denk en = think

In addition to the ending, a prefix (one or more) can be added to the stem of the verb. It can be detachable or non-detachable. Detachable attachments are shock. Inseparable - unstressed. In a sentence, the logical stress falls on the separable prefix. For example:

Here you can see how the prefix, separating, goes to the end of a sentence or phrase. Moreover, as in English, prefixes can radically affect the new meaning of a word:

In a sentence, the verb is most often a predicate and, in agreement with the subject, has the following grammatical categories: person, number, tense, mood and voice.

Mood is the relationship between action and reality. How real or unreal it is. This also includes the expression of requests, orders and calls for action.

For one mood or another, the following formulas and tenses are used:

active action(action is performed by the subject)

passive action(action directed at the subject)

Unlike the Russian language at the German verb no species category, i.e., it is clearly impossible to determine without context whether an action is ongoing or has already ended only by the form of the verb. For example:

Remember! Most native German speakers don't know half of what you learned from this article. Foreigners who find themselves in a language environment begin to learn it like children, observing, imitating, making mistakes, but ultimately moving forward and improving with each attempt. This path can be made easier and shorter by applying the acquired grammatical knowledge.

There are two types: strong and weak. Those who have not studied German will find the system of distinguishing them difficult. But this is only at first glance.

The strong differ from the weak in how they behave when conjugated in the singular present tense (Präsens), in the past tense (Präteritum) and in the form (Partizip II)

Partizip II is a verb form that in Russian corresponds to a participle. Mainly used to form the past tense Perfect.

However, here you can notice a certain pattern, which consists in the fact that certain roots from the following turn into such in the present tense form:

1. a - ä fallen - fall
2. au - äu laufen - läuft
3. e - i, ie, ieh, a flechten - fliecht

Some of the strong verbs do not have a personal ending in the first and third person present tense:
ich/er lief

The Präteritum of strong verbs is formed by changing the root vowel, for example:

backen-buk

There is an internal system for distributing verbs according to changes in the root vowel. This makes it easier to memorize special forms.

Partizip II as another distinctive feature of a strong verb

A distinctive feature of strong verbs is also the formation of Partizip II, because in this case, the prefix ge- and the ending -en are added to the main form of the verb, while in weak ones the prefix ge- and the ending -t. Compare:

bergen - barg - geborgen
machen - machte - gemacht

By these signs you can understand whether a verb is strong or weak. If you are careful, everything is simple and clear. Without knowing the basic rules, many are lost, not knowing what the initial form of the verb is, so they go through the wrong options. To make it easier to memorize the formation of Präsens, Präteritum and Partizip II strong verbs, there is a special table that indicates the changes of verbs. German-Russian dictionaries usually include this table, which significantly reduces the time it takes to search for a particular word.

Video on the topic

Tip 2: Declension of German verbs: rules and practice

The system of verbs in German is somewhat more complicated than in English, since in German there is a separate verb form for each person, but for a Russian person this is not at all surprising. In addition, the German language has a rather complex tense system; you will find more detailed information about this in the grammar section

Rules for conjugating verbs in German

Verb conjugation in the present tense (Prasens)

To indicate an action in the present or future tense, the tense form Prasens is used. When changing a verb by persons, personal endings are added to the base of the verb. A number of verbs exhibit some peculiarities when conjugated in the present.

Weak verbs

Most verbs in German are weak. When they are conjugated in the present tense, personal endings are added to the stem of the verb (see fragen - ask).

• If the stem of a verb (weak or strong, not changing the root vowel) ends in d, t or a combination of consonants chn, ffn, dm, gn, tm (e.g. antworten, bilden, zeichnen), then a vowel is inserted between the stem of the verb and the personal ending e.
• If the stem of a verb (weak or strong) ends in s, ss, ?, z, tz (e.g. gru?en, hei?en, lesen, sitzen), then in the 2nd person singular the s at the end is dropped and the verbs receive ending -t.

Strong verbs

Strong verbs in the 2nd and 3rd person singular modify the root vowel:

• a, au, o receive an umlaut (e.g. fahren, laufen, halten),
• the vowel e becomes i or ie (geben, lesen).

For strong verbs with an inflected root vowel, the stem of which ends in -t, in the 2nd and 3rd person singular the connecting vowel e is not added, and in the 3rd person the ending is also not added (for example, halten - du haltst, er halt), and in the second person plural (where the root vowel does not change) they, like weak verbs, receive a connecting e (ihr haltet.)

Irregular Verbs

The auxiliary verbs sein (to be), haben (to have), werden (to become), by their morphological features, belong to irregular verbs that, when conjugated in the present, exhibit a deviation from the general rule.

Modal verbs and the verb "wissen"

Modal verbs and the verb "wissen" belong to the group of so-called Praterito-Prasentia verbs. The historical development of these verbs has led to the fact that their conjugation in the present tense (Prasens) coincides with the conjugation of strong verbs in the past tense Prateritum: modal verbs modify the root vowel in the singular (except sollen), and in the 1st and 3rd person singular numbers have no endings.

Conjugation of the verb stehen

The conjugation of the verb stehen is incorrect. Forms of the verb steht, stand, hat gestanden. Alternating vowels e - a - a in the root: "haben" is used as an auxiliary verb for stehen. However, there are tense forms with the auxiliary verb sein. The verb stehen can be used in a reflexive form.

Conjugation of the verb machen

The conjugation of the verb machen is incorrect.. Forms of the verb macht, machte, hat gemacht. "haben" is used as an auxiliary verb for machen. However, there are tense forms with the auxiliary verb sein. The verb machen can be used in its reflexive form.

Verb sein

In German, the verb (vb) sein can be called the main verb. With its help, tenses and other language structures, as well as idioms, are constructed. German verb. sein in its functionality is an analogue of the English verb. to be. It has the same meaning and also changes its form when conjugated.

German verb. sein as an independent verb. in its full lexical meaning it is translated as “to be.” In the present tense (Präsens) it is conjugated like this:

• Singular (singular)
• Ic h (I) – bin (there is)
• Du (you) – bist (there is)
• Er/sie/es (he/she/it) - ist (is)
• Plural (plural)
• Wir (we) - sind (there is)
• Ihr (you) - seid (is)
• Sie/sie (You/they) - sind (there is)

In the past incomplete tense (Präteritum) it is conjugated as follows:

• Singular (singular)
• Ich (I) – war (was/was)
• Du (you) – warst (was/was)
• Er/sie/es (he/she/it) - war (was/was/was)
• Plural (plural)
• Wir (we) - waren (were)
• Ihr (you) - wart (were)
• Sie/sie (You/they) - waren (were)

The third form of the verb sein – gewesen is not conjugated.

Declension of German verbs

The main (large) table does not contain the first and second person singular forms. This is done in order to make it easier to memorize verbs, and also because these forms are subject to certain rules that are valid for both regular (weak) and irregular (strong) verbs.

The first person singular form differs from the infinitive only in the absence of the final letter -n. The second person singular is most often formed by adding the suffix -s- before the final letter -t to the third person singular form.

Illustrative examples of conjugating verbs of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd person in the present tense are given in the small table at the bottom of the page.

The plural in all persons (except one) coincides with the infinitive: essen - wir/sie essen. This also applies to the respectful address to you in the singular or plural: Sie essen.

There are some exceptions here. If we address several well-known people (friends, colleagues, children, etc.) in German as you, we use the pronoun ihr and add the suffix -t to the root of the verb. Very often (but not always) this form coincides with the third person singular: Ihr bergt ein Geheimnis. - You are hiding some secret.

Let's consider the declension of a noun according to the weak type (there are few of them in the language and they need to be memorized), and a verb (irregular - there are also relatively few of them in the language, they also need to be learned) - according to the strong (irregular) type. Verbs of this type can change the root vowels and even in some cases the entire stem during conjugation and, according to special, not always explainable rules, form three main forms of the verb, necessary for the formation of different tenses and moods. Let's take the noun der Seebär (sea wolf) and the verb vergeben (to provide, to give).

Verbs, due to the fact that they denote actions, processes, states, etc., that could have happened in the past, are occurring or taking place now or will take place in the future, also change according to tenses. In German, the system of tense formation of verbs differs significantly from Russian and has simple and complex tenses. To complete the picture, consider the declension of the noun according to the third - feminine type and the conjugation of the verb in the simple past tense Präteritum. Let's take the noun die Zunge (language) and two verbs in the form Präterit: the correct one is testen (to check) and the incorrect verzeihen (to forgive).

Learning to conjugate German verbs

You need to master:

• Varieties of verbs. There are five of them in total: regular, irregular, verbs with a separable or inseparable prefix, and verbs ending in –ieren. Each of these groups of verbs has its own conjugation features.
• Groups of strong verbs. In each of these groups or subgroups, strong (irregular) verbs are inflected in the same way. It is more convenient to analyze one such group in one lesson than to study tables in which all strong verbs are given in a row.
• Declension of reflexive verbs or verbs with the reflexive pronoun sich. In general, it does not differ from the general scheme for conjugating weak verbs, but there are nuances.
• Topic "Modal verbs".
• Verbs with two conjugations. They can be declined as both strong and weak; pay special attention to verbs with two meanings (the type of conjugation is determined according to the meaning).
• Declension of German verbs in the past tense (Präteritum, Perfekt, Plusquamperfekt). Many reference books list three popular forms: the infinitive, the simple past tense, and the participle used to form the perfect tense (Partizip II).
• Declension in special forms of the German future tense (Futur I and Futur II).
• Declension of German verbs in different moods (two forms of the subjunctive mood - Konjunktiv I and Konjunktiv II, and the imperative mood, that is, the imperative).

The benefits of learning German

1. German is not only one of the most widely spoken languages ​​in Europe, it is also the mother tongue of more than 120 million people. Germany alone has a population of over 80 million, making the country the most populous in all of Europe. German is also the mother tongue of many other countries. This includes Austria, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. Knowledge of the German language makes it possible to communicate not only with residents of the above countries, but also with a significant part of Italians and Belgians, French and Danes, as well as Poles, Czechs and Romanians.
2. Germany is the third country in the world with the strongest and most stable economy. Germany is one of the world's leading exporters. Germany exports cars, medicines, various equipment and many other goods.
3. Knowledge of German creates opportunities for personal development and career growth. In Eastern Europe, companies such as BMW and Daimler, Siemens, or, for example, Bosch require international partners.
4. If you are looking for a job in the US, knowing German provides significant advantages because... German companies have numerous representative offices and firms in America.
5. One out of ten books in the world is published in German. Germany is famous for its large number of scientists who publish more than 80 thousand books every year. Unfortunately, most of these books are translated only into English and Japanese, where German is in demand. Therefore, knowledge of the German language allows you to read a huge variety of these books and publications in the original.
6. German-speaking countries have one of the most significant cultural heritages in the world. Germany has always been associated with the homeland of poets and thinkers. W. Goethe, T. Mann, F. Kafka, G. Hesse are just some of the authors whose works are widely known to all of us. Having good knowledge of the German language, you can read works in the original language and understand the culture of the country of origin.
7. By learning German you have the opportunity to travel. In Germany, various exchange programs have been created for schoolchildren and students from different countries of the world, as well as to provide education in Germany.

The meaning of modal verbs. Modal are called such verbs that express not the action itself, but only attitude to action(Wed.: We we want study well. We Can study well. We must study well). Therefore, modal verbs in German are usually not used independently, i.e. without a second verb, which expresses the desired, possible or necessary action itself. This second verb always answers the question “what to do?” and stands in the infinitive, as in Russian ( Wed.: We want - what to do? - study well). Basic modal verbs in German: können(to be able), mussen(should) wollen(want). They are very common, without them it is often impossible to express a thought.

In Russian, opportunity, necessity, and desire can be expressed in two ways:

Possibility 1. We Can. = 2. Us Can.

Obligation 1. We must. = 2. Us need (must).

Desire 1. We we want. = 2. Us I want to.

In German, only the first method is used.

Wed:
They can(can) ( they can) work in the laboratory. Sie können im Labor arbeiten.

Except können, müssen, wollen modal verbs are also often used sollen And durfen.

Verb sollen close in value to mussen.

Wed.:
You want (you want) to visit the museum. Sie wollen das Museum be suchen.
Wir müssen (Wir sollen) jetzt viel arbeiten. We must (forced, we have to), we must (obliged, we should) work hard now.

Verb durfen close in value to können:

Wir können (Wir dürfen) dieses Buch in der Bibliothek bekommen. We can (=have the opportunity)
We can (=have the right, permission) to get this book from the library.

In most cases the differences in meaning between mussen And sollen(to be forced and to be obliged), between können And durfen(to have the opportunity and to have permission) are not very significant, they can be ignored and only the verbs können (to be able) and müssen (to have to) can be used in speech.

Task 1. Indicate which modal verbs should be used to say in German:

1. We need to finish work tomorrow. 2. Who should make a presentation at the seminar? 3. I want to take the exam in December. 4. Misha wants to play sports. 5. You can borrow foreign journals from the department or the library. 6. We can work in the reading room until seven o’clock in the evening.

Conjugation of modal verbs in the present

In present, all modal verbs have special singular forms (plural forms are formed according to the general rule):

As can be seen from the table, the peculiarity of their conjugation is that they do not have personal endings in the 1st and 3rd person singular. numbers (these forms are the same), and also all (except sollen) change the root vowel into singular. number (these forms need to be remembered).

Task 2. Indicate which forms of the modal verbs given in brackets should be used instead of gaps in the following sentences:

1…. er den Text ohne Wörterbuch übersetzen? (können) 2. Ich... heute meinen kranken Freund besuchen. (wollen) 3. Welches Thema... du zum Seminar vorbereiten? (sollen) 4. Mein Freund... seinen Eltern helfen. (mussen)

Word order in a sentence with a modal verb

As can be seen from the examples above, in a German sentence the modal verb takes the place of the predicate (i.e. 2nd or 1st), and the verb in the infinitive, expressing the action itself, is used (unlike the Russian language) not immediately after the modal , but at the very end of the sentence.

The negation nicht with modal verbs (unlike all others) can be used immediately after the modal verb (but can also be used before the infinitive).

Task 3. Indicate in what order the German words should be used to say:

1. Tomorrow I want to visit my school friend. besuchen; morgen; will; meinen Schulfreund; ich.
2. When do you need to write a test? die Kontrollarbeit; wann; musst; schreiben; du?
3. Can you help me with German? du; in Germany; kannst; helfen; mir?
4. She can have good grades in all subjects. gute Noten; kann; haben; sie; in Allen Fachern.
5. Today we cannot work in the reading room. wir; im Lesesaal; arbeiten; heute; nicht; können.
6. He should be at home in the evening. er; muss; zu Hause; sein; am Abend.
7. I can't read English. ich; kann, nicht; Englisch; lesen.

Man with modal verbs müssen and können

When they want to say that some action must or can be performed without indicating who exactly, they use a combination of man with modal verbs:

necessary, necessary - man muss (man soll)
you can - man kann (man darf)

You need to read a lot. (not specified to whom) Man muss viel lesen.
He needs to read a lot. (person indicated) Er muss viel lesen.
Can I finish my work today? (not specified to whom) Kann man die Arbeit heute beenden?
Can I finish my work today? (person indicated) Kann ich die Arbeit heute beenden?

As can be seen from these examples, man and the modal verb change places so that the modal verb always ends up in the place of the predicate, that is, in 2nd or 1st place.

If they want to say that this or that action is not necessary or cannot be performed, then they add the negation nicht:

not necessary, not necessary - man muss (soll) nicht impossible - man kann (darf) nicht

For example:

You don't need to finish work today. Man muss nicht die Arbeit heute beenden.
You can't work in peace here. Hier kann man nicht ruhig arbeiten.

Task 4. Indicate which of the following sentences should be translated using the combination man muss or man kann:

1. He needs to prepare a report. 2. I can go home for three days. 3. Special literature should be read without a dictionary. 4. Can I take books home from the reading room? 5. Can I come to you in the evening?

Video on the topic “Modal verbs in German”: