1. © Leigh McClelland 2001

2. The Present Tense
It’s a gift!

3. Vera may look like an old moose but she also asks some very good questions…
What is a verb?

4. I see ! A verb is a word representing: A. an action
I play…, you make …
B. a state 
We have…, they are …, I am becoming…
I see !

5. So what’s the present tense?
The present tense is the form we give the verb to show that it:
Happens regularly
e.g. Ich lese jeden Tag (I read every day)
e.g. Was lernst du in der Schule? (What do you learn at school?)
Is happening now
e.g. Ruhe! Ich lese! (Quiet! I’m reading!)
e.g. Was lernst du in Informatik? (What are you learning in IT?)

6. In English you can say ‘I read’ or ‘I am reading’
German uses one word for the verb in the present tense
e.g. lese = ‘I read’ or ‘I am reading’
Ignore the ‘trimmings’ we often put around an English verb:
e.g. am reading/ do you … read….?

7. Fine. So what else do I need to know?
You need to understand three keywords:
ENDING
INFINITIVE
STEM

8. INFINITIVE This is the form of the verb found in the dictionary
This always ends in –n or -en
It is translated into English as ‘ to ’
OK!

9. spiel en = STEM STEM The STEM of regular verbs is simply
the infinitive form minus the –en
spiel en
= STEM
EASY!

10. ENDINGS Endings are added to the stem of the verb
The same set of endings is used for all verbs
Endings change according to the subject
(the person or thing who does the action)
What are the endings?

11. Subject Pronouns ich I du you (friend) er/es/sie he/it/she wir we ihr
I remember!
ihr
you (friends)
Sie
you (polite, sing./pl)
sie
they

12. Add the regular snap endings to the stem!
ich
stem +e du
stem
+st
er/es/sie
stem +t
wir
stem
+en
ihr
stem +t
Sie/sie
stem
+en

13. And that’s straight from the moose’s mouth!
Again?