Strong and Irregular Verbs
Strong Verbs | Strong Tenses | Stong Verb with Auxiliary Sein | Irregular Verbs | Irregular Tenses | More Irregular Verbs | Kennen and Wissen | Modifying Vowel | Using Verbs Reflexively
In this lesson we will look at strong verbs, which are similar to English's strong verbs, and also irregular verbs, which are few in numbers but are encountered frequently and have characteristics of weak and strong verbs.
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Strong Verbs: this kind of verb does not add a -te to make the simple past, instead it changes the stem vowel. The past participle may also change the stem vowel different from the simple past, it may be the same, or it may even stay as it is in the infinite, either way the past participle ends in -en
Usually when you show the vowel change of a verb you show it in this order: infinitive, third person singular present, third person singular simple past, and the auxiliary verb used with the perfect past:
sehen - (sieht, sah, hat gesehen) - to see
Note the vowel changes for the verb sehen.
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| sehen - to see |
| Present: |
Future: |
| ich sehe |
I see |
ich werde sehen |
I shall see |
| du siehst |
you see |
du wirst sehen |
you will see |
| er/sie/es sieht |
he/she/it sees |
er/sie/es wird sehen |
he/she/it will see |
| wir sehen |
we see |
wir werden sehen |
we shall see |
| ihr seht |
you see |
ihr werdet sehen |
you will see |
| sie sehen |
they see |
sie werden sehen |
they will see |
| Sie sehen |
you see |
Sie werden sehen |
you will see |
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Simple: |
Perfect: |
| ich sah |
I saw |
ich habe gesehen |
I have seen |
| du sahst |
you saw |
du hast gesehen |
you have seen |
| er/sie/es sah |
he/she/it saw |
er/sie/es hat gesehen |
he/she/it has seen |
| wir sahen |
we saw |
wir haben gesehen |
we have seen |
| ihr saht |
you saw |
ihr habt gesehen |
you have seen |
| sie sahen |
they saw |
sie haben gesehen |
they have seen |
| Sie sahen |
you saw |
Sie haben gesehen |
you have seen |
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Pluperfect: |
Conditional: |
| ich hatte gesehen |
I had seen |
ich würde sehen |
I should see |
| du hattest gesehen |
you had seen |
du würdest sehen |
you would see |
| er/sie/es hatte gesehen |
he/she/it had seen |
er/sie/es würde sehen |
he/she/it would see |
| wir hatten gesehen |
we had seen |
wir würden sehen |
we would see |
| ihr hattet gesehen |
you had seen |
ihr würdet sehen |
you would see |
| sie hatten gesehen |
they had seen |
sie würden sehen |
they would see |
| Sie hatten gesehen |
you had seen |
Sie würden sehen |
you would see |
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Here is an example of a strong verb which uses sein as an auxiliary verb. Note how using sein will only affect the perfect past and the pluperfect, and also note how the past participle's stem vowel has changed:
| gehen - (geht, ging, ist gegangen) - to go |
| Perfect: |
Pluperfect: |
| ich bin gegangen |
I have gone |
ich war gegangen |
I had gone |
| du bist gegangen |
you have gone |
du warst gegangen |
you had gone |
| er/sie/es ist gegangen |
he/she/it has gone |
er/sie/es war gegangen |
he/she/it had gone |
| wir sind gegangen |
we have gone |
wir waren gegangen |
we had gone |
| ihr seid gegangen |
you have gone |
ihr wart gegangen |
you had gone |
| sie sind gegangen |
they have gone |
sie waren gegangen |
they had gone |
| Sie sind gegangen |
you have gone |
Sie waren gegangen |
you had gone |
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| Irregular Verbs: this kind of verb has characteristics of both strong and weak verbs. It changes its ending like a weak verb and changes the stem vowel like a strong verb. It is not worth showing the conditonal and future, because as far as weak, strong, and irregular verbs go the future and the conditional will always remain the same as they always use werden plus the infinitive:
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| denken - (denkt, dachte, hat gedacht) - to think |
| Present: |
Perfect: |
| ich denke |
I think |
ich habe gedacht |
I have thought |
| du denkst |
you think |
du hast gedacht |
you have thought |
| er/sie/es denkt |
he/she/it thinks |
er/sie/es hat gedacht |
he/she/it has thought |
| wir denken |
we think |
wir haben gedacht |
we have thought |
| ihr denkt |
you think |
ihr habt gedacht |
you have thought |
| sie denken |
they think |
sie haben gedacht |
they have thought |
| Sie denken |
you think |
Sie haben gedacht |
you have thought |
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| Simple: |
Pluperfect: |
| ich dachte |
I thought |
ich hatte gedacht |
I had thought |
| du dachtest |
you thought |
du hattest gedacht |
you had thought |
| er/sie/es dachte |
he/she/it thought |
er/sie/es hatte gedacht |
he/she/it had thought |
| wir dachten |
we thought |
wir hatten gedacht |
we had thought |
| ihr dachtet |
you thought |
ihr hattet gedacht |
you had thought |
| sie dachten |
they thought |
sie hatten gedacht |
they had thought |
| Sie dachten |
you thought |
Sie hatten gedacht |
you had thought |
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Other irregular verbs include:
brennen - (brennt, brannt, hat gebrannt) - to burn
bringen - (bringt, brachte, hat gebracht) - to bring
nennen - (nennt, nannte, hat genannt) - to name
kennen - (kennt, kannte, hat gekannt) - to know (a person or place)
wissen - (weiß, wußte, hat gewußt) - to know (a fact)
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Look at kennen and wissen. Kennen is to know a person or place whereas wissen is to know a fact. Examples:
Kennst du meinen Bruder? - Do you know my brother?
Weißt du, wo mein Bruder ist? - Do you know where my brother is?
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Some strong verbs modify the vowel, add an umlaut or change the vowel, in the present tense and those whose stems end in -t add nothing in the third person singular as it does with weak verbs which add an -et:
halten - to stop: ich halte, du hältst, er hält...
schelten - to scold: ich shelte, du schiltst, er schilt...
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When the verb is used reflexively it will be conjugated with haben as the auxiliary whether it is strong or weak:
Wir haben uns müde gelaufen. - We've walked till we're tired out.
Die Wunde hat sich geheilt. - The wound healed itself.
One exception to this rule is when the reflexive is used as a reciprocal (eachother):
Wir sind uns gestern auf der Straße begegnet. - We met in the street yesterday.
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