You have just started learning German and on day two or three your German teacher initiates you into the world of German verb conjugation. You already know that most German verbs have an “en” or “n” ending and when you think you have just got a hang of how German verbs work in the present tense, your teacher wants to draw your attention to these so-called stem-changing verbs.
What is a stem-changing verb ?
Most of the German verbs have a regular conjugation pattern and it means once you have learnt how to conjugate a German verb, it is like you have mastered how the German language works in the present tense.However,there are some verbs which do not follow these rules. You just have to learn their conjugation individually as they undergo a change in the stem vowel in the present tense. The stem vowel change happens only with the second person singular (Du) and the third person singular (Er/Sie/Es) forms.
There are three categories of stem changing verbs in the present tense.
Vowel changes from
- Vowel changes from e to i Examples – Essen,Geben,Nehmen,Helfen
2. Vowel changes from e to ie Examples – Sehen,Empfehlen,Lesen,Fernsehen
3. Vowel changes from a to ä Examples – Fahren,Tragen,Waschen,Backen
Here is a list of 20 stem changing verbs you are supposed to be familiar with in the beginners level with example sentences.
Geben (v) to give
Sie gibt mir die Nummer
She is giving me the number
Nehmen (v) to take
Er nimmt die Treppe
He is taking the stairs
Essen (v) to eat
You are eating a cake
Du isst einen Kuchen
Sprechen ( v) to speak
Sam spricht drei Sprachen
Sam speaks three languages
Schalfen (v) to sleep
Julia schläft
Julia t is sleeping
Treffen (v) to meet
Er trifft seine Freundin
He is meeting his girl friend
Helfen (v) to help
Rachel hilft dem alten Mann
Rachel is helping the old man
Lesen (v) to read
Ich lese die Zeitung
I am reading the newspaper
Sehen ( v) to see
Wir sehen ein Video auf Youtube
We are watching a video on Youtube
Aussehen (v) to look,appear
Sie sieht krank aus
She looks sick
Fernsehen (v) to watch tv
Wir sehen abends fern
We watch tv in the evening
Empfehlen (v) to recommend
Welchen Kurs empfiehlt der Lehrer ?
Which course does the teacher recommend ?
Laufen (v) to run,to walk
Er läuft im Park
He is running in the park
Einladen (v) to invite
Wir laden viele Leute zur Party ein
Halten (v) to hold
Sie hält das Ticket in der Hand
Tragen ( v) to wear,to carry
Er trägt einen Anzug
He is wearing a suit
Fallen (v) to fall
Er fällt vom Fahrrad
Lassen (v) to let,to leave
Sie lässt die Kinder draussen spielen
She allows the children to play outside
Fahren (v) to drive,to travel
Er fährt nach Deutschland
Schlagen (v) to hit
Er schlägt seinen Bruder