The Verb Map
German Grammar 2
Chapter 1 · The Verb Map
🗺️ The Verb Map — Die Verbkarte
German Grammar 1 gave you the noun phrase: gender, plurals, four cases and adjective endings. This course turns to the verb and to building sentences. A German verb has a fixed shape (a stem plus an ending), and the position of the verb decides the order of nearly everything else in a sentence. This first chapter is a map: it shows the parts, the six persons and the three positions of the verb, so that the chapters that follow have somewhere to fit. You met the present tense in German Basic Conversation 1 to 4; here it becomes a system.
Stem and ending
| Infinitive | Meaning | Stem | Ending removed |
|---|---|---|---|
| machen | to do, make | mach- | -en |
| wohnen | to live (reside) | wohn- | -en |
| lernen | to learn | lern- | -en |
| wandern | to hike | wander- | -n |
| sammeln | to collect | sammel- | -n |
The six persons and their endings
| Person | Ending | machen | wohnen | kommen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ich | -e | mache | wohne | komme |
| du | -st | machst | wohnst | kommst |
| er / sie / es | -t | macht | wohnt | kommt |
| wir | -en | machen | wohnen | kommen |
| ihr | -t | macht | wohnt | kommt |
| sie / Sie | -en | machen | wohnen | kommen |
du, ihr or Sie?
| Form | Who | Example |
|---|---|---|
| du | one person you know well: family, friends, children, young people, colleagues who use du | Wohnst du in Hamburg? |
| ihr | two or more people you would call du separately | Wohnt ihr in Hamburg? |
| Sie | one or more people, formal: strangers, customers, many work and official settings | Wohnen Sie in Hamburg? |
The formal Sie always takes the third-person plural verb form (Sie wohnen), whether you address one person or ten. If you are not sure, start with Sie; the other person will usually suggest du, often with a question like Sagen wir du? ("Shall we say du?").
One present tense
English has two present tenses (I learn, I am learning). German has one. It also stands for a planned future when a time word is present, and, with seit, for something that began in the past and still goes on.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Ich lerne Deutsch. | I learn / I am learning German. |
| Morgen fahre ich nach Berlin. | Tomorrow I'm going to Berlin. (future meaning) |
| Ich wohne seit einem Jahr hier. | I have been living here for a year. |
The position of the verb: the key to word order
The conjugated verb (the one with the person ending) has a fixed place that depends on the sentence type. Everything else can move around it. These positions are the plan for German Grammar 2 9 to 11:
| Sentence type | Verb position | Example |
|---|---|---|
| statement | second | Ich lerne heute Deutsch. · Heute lerne ich Deutsch. |
| yes/no question | first | Lernst du heute Deutsch? |
| question word question | second (after the question word) | Was lernst du heute? |
| command | first | Lern heute Deutsch! |
| subordinate clause | last | …, weil ich heute Deutsch lerne. |
The verb types in this course
| Type | Example | Chapter |
|---|---|---|
| regular, with spelling changes | machen, arbeiten, heißen, sammeln | German Grammar 2 2 |
| sein, haben, werden; stem-changing verbs | ich bin, sie hat, er spricht, sie fährt | German Grammar 2 3 |
| modal verbs | können, müssen, wollen | German Grammar 2 4 |
| separable and inseparable verbs | aufstehen, besuchen | German Grammar 2 5 |
| reflexive and impersonal verbs | sich freuen, es regnet | German Grammar 2 6 |
🗣️ In Use — Im Gebrauch
The rules in real sentences. Read each exchange aloud and spot the pattern.
① du or Sie?
② Word order
③ Plans
📋 Quick Reference — Kurzübersicht
| Topic | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| stem | infinitive minus -en (or -n) | machen → mach- |
| endings | -e · -st · -t · -en · -t · -en | ich mache, du machst, er macht, wir machen, ihr macht, sie machen |
| du / ihr / Sie | one friend / several friends / formal | Wohnst du? Wohnt ihr? Wohnen Sie? |
| present tense | one tense for "learn" and "am learning"; also a planned future | Morgen fahre ich nach Berlin. |
| verb position | 2nd (statement) · 1st (yes/no question, command) · last (subordinate) | Heute lerne ich. · Lernst du? |
✏️ Try It Yourself — Übungen
Say the answer first, then click to check.
1. Give the stem of machen, wandern, arbeiten.
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mach-, wander-, arbeit-: take off -en, or just -n from -ern and -eln verbs.
2. Fill in machen: ich ___, du ___, wir ___
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ich mache, du machst, wir machen.
3. Which pronoun fits? ___ macht (one person, not me or you)
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er, sie or es: the ending -t also fits ihr ("you all").
4. Du, ihr or Sie? (a) a stranger at the bank, (b) your younger sister, (c) a group of friends.
Show answer
(a) Sie, (b) du, (c) ihr.
5. Say "I am learning German" and "I learn German" in German.
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Both are Ich lerne Deutsch. German has one present tense.
6. Move heute to the front: Ich lerne heute Deutsch.
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Heute lerne ich Deutsch. The verb stays second, so the subject moves behind it.
7. Correct: Heute ich lerne Deutsch.
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Heute lerne ich Deutsch. The conjugated verb must be in second position.
8. Make a yes/no question: Du lernst Deutsch.
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Lernst du Deutsch? The verb moves to the first position.
9. Say "Tomorrow I'm going to Berlin."
Show answer
Morgen fahre ich nach Berlin. The present tense with a time word expresses a plan.