Before you can do anything with a German verb, you have to know how to conjugate it. What is verb conjugation? you may ask. Verb conjugation is the act of inflecting a verb such that it matches the subject. In other words, you might need to change the form and/or ending of a verb in order for it to match the subject of the sentence. The verb has to match the subject, since the subject is the one taking action in the sentence.
English Verb Conjugation in a Nutshell
Verb conjugation in English is so minimal that many English speakers are completely unaware of it. Let’s take the verb “swim” for example.
I swim
You swim
She swims
He swims
It swims
They swim
We swim
You guys swim
It’s so simple. You either throw an “s” on the end or you don’t. The decision of whether or not to use an "s" is made based on the subject. Easy peasy.
German Verb Conjugation
German verb conjugation is much more complicated, which can be a challenge for native English speakers learning German. Don’t worry though – I will walk you through the German verb conjugating process step-by-step right now using the verb “schwimmen” (swim) as an example.
Step 1: Isolate the Root
Example:
schwimm
Explanation:
Most German verbs in their infinitive or unconjugated form will end in “en”. Remove the “en” to isolate the root. Once we remove the "en" from "schwimmen", we get "schwimm".
Step 2: Choose a German Verb Ending
Example:
Subject = “ich”
Ending = “e”
Explanation:
English verbs can have just one of two endings. German verbs can have twice that many conjugations. It is best to memorize which of the four endings corresponds to which pronoun. That will allow you to be quick on the draw as you are speaking German.
How do you find the verb ending for a noun or proper noun in German? Just imagine which pronoun you would replace it with and use the ending corresponding to that pronoun. Below is a German verb conjugation table showing the corresponding pronouns for each one:
| English Meaning | German Pronoun | German Verb Ending |
| I | ich | -e |
| you (informal) | du | -st |
| you (formal) | Sie | -en |
| he | er | -t |
| she | sie | |
| it | es | |
| we | wir | -en |
| they | sie | -en |
| you guys | ihr | -t |
Step 3: Use the German Verb Ending
Example:
Ich schwimme.
(I swim.)
Explanation:
Place the German verb ending that corresponds to the subject of your sentence onto the end of the root. For "schwimmen", the root was "schwimm". Adding "e" to the end of "schwimm" gives us "schwimme". Now the verb is perfectly conjugated to be used with "ich" (I) in the sentence.
Checking Your Work with a Grammar Checker for German*
Grammar checkers can be a great tool for anyone, regardless of whether you are a native speaker or a German learner. As you are learning proper German verb conjugation, grammar tools can act as your ticket to learning freedom. Type any combination of subject and verb + ending, run it through the grammar checking tool, and voila! You'll know if you are correct right away. Below are two grammar checkers you can use on your German learning journey.
Microsoft Word Editor
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LanguageTool
LanguageTool can be used in multiple languages as well and will correct your grammar like a pro. Data privacy is taken very seriously at LanguageTool, so you can make your grammatical blunders in peace. Once you become more advanced, it will even score the style and grammar of your texts to show you how you're doing.
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