Understanding Irregular Verbs
You have learned that you can simply conjugate a regular verb by adding the appropriate ending to the stem of the verb. There are also some irregular verbs where the stem changes as well. But first let’s go back and review what a stem is. The stem of a verb is the part of the verb that is left once you take away the –en or – n ending. In regular verbs the stem does not change no matter what ending you add on to it. Stem changes will become familiar to you over time, as many German verbs are “ stem changing .” In most cases only the “you” and “he, she, it” form changes, but it wouldn’t be German if there weren’t exceptions. Let’s have a look at an example. |
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Singular
| ich fahre | I drive |
| du fährst | you drive (casual) |
| er fährt | he drives |
| sie fährt | she drives |
| es fährt | it drives |
Plural
| wir fahren | we drive |
| ihr fahrt | you drive (casual) |
| sie fahren | they drive |
| Sie fahren | you drive (formal)) |
Zum Beispiel:
| Fährt sie dich in die Schule? | Does she drive you to school? |
| Können Sie langsamer fahren? | Could you drive more slowly? (formal) |
| Kannst du langsamer fahren? | Could you drive more slowly? (casual) |
| Wir fahren durch die Stadt. | We driving through the city |
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