It’s a gift!

Vera may look like an old moose but she also asks some very good questions…

What is a verb?

A verb is a word representing:

A. an action

B. a state

I play…, you make …

We have…, they are …, I am becoming…

I see !

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?)

So what’s the present tense?

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….?

Fine. So what else do I need to

know?

You need to understand three keywords:

INFINITIVE

STEMENDING

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!

The STEM of regular verbs is simplythe infinitive form minus the –en

spielen = STEMEASY!

Endings are added to the stem of the verbThe same set of endings is used for all verbsEndings change according to the subject(the person or thing who does the action) What are the

endings?

ich

ihr

er/es/sie

wir

du

Sie

sie

I

you (friend)

he/it/she

we

you (friends)you (polite, sing./pl)they

I remember!

Add the regular snap endings to the stem!

ich

stem+e

du

stem+st

er/es/sie stem

+t

wir stem

+enihr ste

m+t

Sie/sie stem

+en

And that’s straight from the moose’s

mouth!

Again?