But don't worry: there aren't that many of them, and carefully studying the paradigm of German irregular verbs will be a great help in eliminating confusion and using them correctly.
Today, we at Sprachcaffe are here to help you tackle this topic of study: in addition to the rules and tricks for memorizing them, we'll also look at a list of the most useful German irregular verbs , i.e., those most frequently used.
German is a complex language, and learning its verbs can be very difficult. Fortunately, each verb has its own paradigm, a sort of guide that, if learned by heart, will help you correctly construct the entire verb conjugation.
It is a line of text divided into four columns, whose constituent elements are:
In particular, the paradigm of German irregular verbs is extremely useful for memorizing them, as it allows us to instantly identify them and understand how to conjugate them.
Here are some paradigm examples to better understand their structure:
| Infinitive | 3rd Person Singular (Present) | Past Tense | Perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| beginnen | beginnt | begann | hat begonnen |
| bleiben | bleibt | blieb | ist geblieben |
| essen | isst | aß | hat gegessen |
| finden | findet | fand | hat gefunden |
| geben | gibt | gab | hat gegeben |
| gehen | geht | ging | ist gegangen |
| helfen | hilft | half | hat geholfen |
| kommen | kommt | kam | ist gekommen |
| lesen | liest | las | hat gelesen |
| nehmen | nimmt | nahm | hat genommen |
| schlafen | schläft | schlief | hat geschlafen |
| schreiben | schreibt | schrieb | hat geschrieben |
| sehen | sieht | sah | hat gesehen |
| sprechen | spricht | sprach | hat gesprochen |
| tragen | trägt | trug | hat getragen |
| trinken | trinkt | trank | hat getrunken |
| werden | wird | wurde | ist geworden |
Even though I don't follow the classic rules, paradoxically, even German irregular verbs (also called strong verbs ) have their own logic, to which they seem to "adhere" in blocks, according to certain common characteristics. In fact, we can identify three types of German irregular verbs based on how certain vowels are transformed:
And the even better thing is that, compared to regular verbs, the endings only vary in the second and third person singular. All other endings remain the same as regular verbs, and therefore conjugating them won't be even a little more difficult.
Let's now look at some examples.
The first verb we'll examine is sprechen , which means to speak and belongs to the first case (e → i). We can see this from its conjugation:
| Person | Present Indicative | Example |
| ich | waste | ich spreche Deutsch = I speak German. |
| two | sprichst | du sprichst über Fußball = you talk about football. |
| er, sie, es | spricht | er spricht mit mir = he talks to me. |
| wir | speak | wir waste zwei verschiedene Sprachen. = we speak two different languages. |
| his | speak | sprecht ihr über mich? = are you talking about me? |
| yes,yes | speak | sie sprechen mit dem Hund = they talk to the dog. |
| Person | Present Indicative | Example |
| ich | harvest | Ich messe die Größe des Tisches = I measure the size of the table. |
| two | misst | du misst seine Größe = you are measuring his height. |
| er, sie, es | misst | die Wirtschaft misst Ströme = the economy measures flows. |
| wir | mess | Wir messen Ergebnisse. = we measure results. |
| his | messt | Ihr messt die Entfernung= you measure the distance. |
| yes, yes | mess | eingebaute Sensoren messen Elemente.= The integrated sensors measure the elements. |
| Person | Present Indicative | Example |
| ich | backe | Ich backe einen Kuchen = I bake a cake. |
| two | back | Du bäckst das Huhn = you bake that chicken. |
| er, sie, es | back | Anna backt Brot = Anna bakes bread. |
| wir | backen | Wir backen Schokoladenkekse. = We bake chocolate cookies. |
| his | backt | ihr backt strudel= you bake the strudel. |
| yes, yes | backen | Sie kochen Kartoffeln im Ofen.= they cook potatoes in the oven. |
There are around 150 irregular German verbs you'll encounter when communicating in this language. However, if you're planning to spend some time in Frankfurt or Munich learning German , don't worry: you don't need to know them all by heart.
Sure, this might be an advantage, but some of these verbs would take up precious space in your memory unnecessarily, because you would never have the opportunity to use them.
It's important to note, however, that some irregular German verbs are among the most common verbs in the entire language . They represent everyday actions and are words used daily to speak and communicate with others, to tell stories and chat. Just think of the examples we've just seen: verbs like "to speak," "to cook," and "to measure" are truly common.
To help you out, here is a table of the most common irregular German verbs , the ones you will really need to keep up conversations in this language.
Once you have learned these, you can then dedicate yourself to learning the less used ones to reach a more advanced linguistic level.
We know they already terrify you, but there's no need to panic! With the right method, learning German irregular verbs will be a simple exercise within the reach of any language learner.
The first thing you can do to make it easier to study the list of German irregular verbs is to divide them into smaller groups. For example, you might consider dividing the paradigms you'll learn by:
Some people find it very helpful to transcribe when they need to study a topic by heart. This is a very useful exercise for us, because writing down German irregular verbs involves first reading them, then transcribing them, and then rereading them to check that you've copied them correctly. And this triple step will have them stuck in your head in no time! To test your learning, after transcribing them, try covering the entire sheet of paper and leaving only the English translation or the German infinitive visible : try repeating all the paradigms of German irregular verbs and see if you remember them!
It's important, however, that you don't try to study them all at once: it will be very difficult to memorize them without confusing them. It's better to divide them into blocks of 10-20 paradigms at a time and focus on each block individually.
Once you've confidently learned all the verbs in a block, you can move on to the next one, and so on.
To double-check, you can then "shuffle" the blocks and try repeating them in different combinations and orders, so you can be sure you remember them well even if they're presented differently than you learned them.
A final, very useful exercise is to create examples using German irregular verbs . Putting a specific word into a realistic context is extremely effective for learning it. And since many irregular verbs are commonly used in German, you can create examples that will be useful in everyday communication.
For example, you can start with a widely used verb like comincia , beginnen , whose paradigm is:
| beginnen | beginnt | begann | hat begonnen |
and create sentences with each of the paradigm's entries:
You'll see that, by placing them in context, these somewhat unusual verbs won't be such an insurmountable problem for you. And once you've completed the entire table of German irregular verbs, you can use your own examples to practice your reading . In fact, besides being very useful for improving pronunciation, reading aloud is an effective exercise for memorization.
Having "really heard" it will create a much more vivid memory in your mind, which is why it's always recommended to say aloud that the gas was turned off before leaving the house, so you can remember it with certainty and avoid worrying throughout the day.
Likewise, you can read your examples aloud and further imprint the list of German irregular verbs in your memory .
