German Present-Tense Verbs, Made Easy.
“So, always when you say ‘ich,’ you have an ‘e‘ at the end. So you would say ‘ich gehe.’ Or when you want to say ‘I come,’ then you say ‘ich komme.’ That’s how it works!” –Susi Blumel, Better German Podcast, Episode 45
Verbs power your sentences. Verbs tell us what is happening, who is doing it, and when. In German, they’re especially important, because their tiny endings tell you who is doing the action—every time. That’s why in Episode 45 I break that pattern down—simply, step by step—and give you an easy practice loop. Get this right, and daily German starts to flow!💪
A Quick Peek into German Verbs 👀
Unlike English, where verbs change only a little (compare “I walk” and “he walks”), German verbs change with every person or subject (I, you, he/she/it, we, you all, they). The good news? Regular verbs are predictable! As I point out in the episode, the dictionary form of every regular verb ends in -en (like gehen “to walk,” leben “to live”). To change according to subject, removing “-en,” you get the verb stem (geh) and simply add the relevant endings depending on the subject:
- ich (I) → add -e (ich gehe – I walk)
- du (you, singular informal) → add -st (du gehst – you walk)
- and so on!
Tune in Now!🎧
Get the full walk-through in Episode 45 / bettergerman.info/45
💡 Pro Tip! Grab the free PDF worksheet at bettergerman.info/verbs1. Study the pattern laid out, then practice with quick exercises. You can also check out the rest of our courses and start leveling up your German today. 🚀.
💡 Practice Tip – Learn Vocabulary with Context and Examples!
In Episode 45, I don’t just list verbs—I give you context for when to use similar words. For example, both living and living can mean “to live,” but living is used for where or how you live ( Ich wohne in einer Wohnung – “I live in an apartment.”) These practical insights will help you use the right verb in real conversations, and there are more handy examples in the full episode!
Related Episodes:
Episode 26: I, You, He, She, It…in German
Episode 27: Parts of Speech
Episode 30: “To Be” in German
Episode 33: Formal vs Informal Communication in German
You May Also Like:
Episode 20: Easy Sentences in German – “What is that? This is a—.”
Episode 32: Uncommon Little Words
Additional Resources💎
- Get the free PDF guide for this episode at bettergerman.info/verbs1
- You might find this helpful: our Adjectives Practice PDF with simple examples and short exercises. It walks you through 16 useful German describing words and shows you how to use them in real sentences.
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