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German Verbs

Verbs (Verben) express actions, states, and processes in German. They form the core of every sentence and change their form based on subject and tense. This page provides links to comprehensive guides on all verb topics.

Verb Tenses

German Tenses Overview

All six German tenses and when to use them

Present Tense (Präsens)

The most common tense for current actions and habits

Perfect Tense (Perfekt)

The go-to past tense for spoken German

Past Tense (Präteritum)

Simple past for written narratives and formal contexts

Past Perfect (Plusquamperfekt)

Actions that happened before other past events

Future (Futur I)

Future plans, promises, and assumptions about the present

Future Perfect (Futur II)

Completed actions in the future

Verb Types & Features

Modal Verbs

The six verbs that modify other verbs (können, müssen, wollen, etc.)

Reflexive Verbs

Verbs where the action reflects back to the subject

Separable Verbs

Verbs with prefixes that detach in main clauses

Irregular Verbs

Complete list of strong and mixed verbs with vowel changes

Transitive/Intransitive

Which verbs take direct objects and which don't

Haben vs Sein

When to use each auxiliary verb in compound tenses

Verb Forms & Moods

Participles

Present and past participle formation and usage

Infinitive with/without zu

When zu is required with infinitives

Imperative

Command forms for du, ihr, Sie, and wir

Subjunctive

Expressing wishes, hypotheticals, and reported speech

Passive Voice

Focusing on the action rather than who performs it

Gerundiv

The verbal adjective expressing necessity or possibility