Basics of Conjugation of German Verbs

Please note, while learning a new language like German, it is best to not translate everything. Understanding the grammar, its rules, and the context of what we want to say and how we say it is very important. However, considering this is a textual medium, I may provide some translations to English for better understanding.

In German, verbs always go in the 2nd position of the sentence.

There are four terms which you should make yourself familiar with: Infinitiv, Verbstamm, Verbendung, Verbkonjugation.

All verbs in German/Deutsch are in their infinitive form. The conjugations are used when there is a subject present. The Verbstamm is a part of the infinitive form without the 'en'. The Verbendung is the part that follows the Verbstamm and changes according to the subject. Verbkonjugation is basically the Verbstamm + Verbendung.

Verbstamm = Infinitiv - 'en'

Verbkonjugation = Verbstamm + Verbendung

The most basic rule here is that the Verbstamm stays the same, however, the Verbendung changes based on the subject.

The below format and rules do not apply to all verbs. While they may apply to most verbs in German, there are exceptions where the conjugation changes.

Pronomen	Konjugation	Verbendung
ich	Verbstamm + e	e
du	Verbstamm + st	st
er / es / sie	Verbstamm + t	t
wir	Verbstamm + en	en
ihr	Verbstamm + t	t
sie / Sie	Verbstamm + en	en

As an example for this article, I've taken the verb wohnen.

Infinitiv -> wohnen

Verbstamm -> wohn

Pronomen	Konjugation
ich	wohne
du	wohnst
er / es / sie	wohnt
wir	wohnen (infinitive form)
ihr	wohnt
sie / Sie	wohnen (infinitive form)

Take a note here.

The 2nd person formal 'Sie' has the endung 'en' or the infinitive form of the verb. This applies to both singular and plural.

The 3rd person singular 'sie' has the endung 't'.

The 3rd person plural 'sie' has the endung 'en'.

If you're having any difficulty with personal pronouns, you can check out this article for quick understanding - Personal Pronouns in German

The above format and rules do not apply to all verbs. While they may apply to most verbs in German, there are exceptions where the conjugation changes.

However, understanding the above thoroughly will help you a lot and will reduce your struggle later in forming sentences.

Thank you for reading :)