Present: irregular & stem-changing verbs
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All 14 Flashcards — Present: irregular & stem-changing verbs
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Question
sein → present
Answer
ich bin · du bist · er/sie/es ist · wir sind · ihr seid · sie sind
Question
haben → present
Answer
ich habe · du hast · er/sie/es hat · wir haben · ihr habt · sie haben
Question
fahren → du / er
Answer
du fährst · er fährt (a→ä) — to drive
Question
schlafen → du / er
Answer
du schläfst · er schläft (a→ä) — to sleep
Question
laufen → du / er
Answer
du läufst · er läuft (au→äu) — to run
Question
geben → du / er
Answer
du gibst · er gibt (e→i) — to give
Question
sprechen → du / er
Answer
du sprichst · er spricht (e→i) — to speak
Question
essen → du / er
Answer
du isst · er isst (e→i) — to eat
Question
lesen → du / er
Answer
du liest · er liest (e→ie) — to read
Question
sehen → du / er
Answer
du siehst · er sieht (e→ie) — to see
Question
In which persons does a German strong verb change its stem vowel?
Answer
Only in du and er/sie/es — wir, ihr and sie (plural) keep the normal vowel.
Question
What are the three vowel-change patterns?
Answer
a→ä (fahren → fährt), e→i (geben → gibt) and e→ie (lesen → liest); also au→äu (laufen → läuft).
Question
Do strong/irregular present verbs have different uses from regular ones?
Answer
No — same jobs (habits, facts, now, near-future, states). Only the form is harder.
Question
What are the two most common errors with these verbs?
Answer
Forgetting the vowel change in du/er («du fahrst» instead of «du fährst») and using the wrong sein/haben form («ich bist», «er habe»).
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Full study notes for Present: irregular & stem-changing verbs
Topic 3.1 hub
Present & core verbs
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German B exam skills
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