Review of Basic Tenses in German

In this guide, we will revisit and solidify your understanding of the present, past, and future tenses in German. We'll also cover irregular verbs in the German language. Since your native language is English, we will teach you the concepts through English explanations. Let's begin!

Present Tense

The present tense is used to talk about actions happening in the present or general truths. In German, the present tense is formed by:

• Taking the infinitive form of the verb as the base.
• Adding specific endings based on the subject pronoun.

Example: The verb "to work" (arbeiten)

| Subject Pronoun | German Present Tense | |-----------------|----------------------| | I | ich arbeite | | You | du arbeitest | | He/She/It | er/sie/es arbeitet | | We | wir arbeiten | | You (Plural) | ihr arbeitet | | They | sie arbeiten |

Note: The verb endings are similar to the English verb "to do" in the present tense.

Past Tense

The past tense is used to talk about actions that have already happened in the past. In German, the past tense is formed using the auxiliary verb "haben" (to have) or "sein" (to be), along with the past participle of the main verb.

Example: The verb "to work" (arbeiten) in past tense using "haben"

| Subject Pronoun | German Past Tense | |-----------------|----------------------------| | I | ich habe gearbeitet | | You | du hast gearbeitet | | He/She/It | er/sie/es hat gearbeitet | | We | wir haben gearbeitet | | You (Plural) | ihr habt gearbeitet | | They | sie haben gearbeitet |

Note: The past participle of regular verbs is formed by adding "-t" to the base form of the verb.

Irregular Verbs in Past Tense

Irregular verbs in the past tense require a different conjugation pattern. Here are some common irregular verbs with their past tense forms:

• "to go" (gehen) becomes "ich bin gegangen" (I have gone)
• "to come" (kommen) becomes "ich bin gekommen" (I have come)
• "to see" (sehen) becomes "ich habe gesehen" (I have seen)
• "to give" (geben) becomes "ich habe gegeben" (I have given)

Note: Irregular verbs require memorization as their forms do not follow a predictable pattern.

Future Tense

The future tense is used to talk about actions that will happen in the future. In German, there are two common ways to express the future tense:

1. Using the present tense along with an adverb or time expression to indicate future actions.
2. Using the auxiliary verb "werden" (to become) along with the infinitive form of the main verb.

Example 1: Using the present tense with an adverb

Ich gehe morgen einkaufen. (I will go shopping tomorrow.)

Example 2: Using "werden" with the infinitive form

Ich werde morgen einkaufen gehen. (I will go shopping tomorrow.)

Note: The future tense in German is not always explicitly stated and can be implied through the context.

Summary

• The present tense is used for actions happening in the present or general truths.
• The past tense is used for actions that have already happened in the past.
• The future tense is used for actions that will happen in the future.
• Irregular verbs in the past tense require different conjugation patterns and must be memorized.

Congratulations! You have revisited and solidified your understanding of the present, past, and future tenses in German. Keep practicing these tenses with different verbs to reinforce your knowledge.