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The present tense: six endings and the vowel that changes

CEFR A1 · part 19 minInstant feedback

edumaterial's parts within the level. The European framework does not subdivide them.

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The rule, in three lines

Drop the -en of the infinitive and add the ending: ich -e, du -st, er/sie/es -t, wir -en, ihr -t, sie/Sie -en. And one group of verbs also changes its vowel, but ONLY in du and er/sie/es: ich fahre, du fährst, er fährt, wir fahren.

The usual slip. Changing the vowel in every person. The change hits du and er/sie/es and nobody else: wir and sie go back to the infinitive vowel. The other big one is dropping the subject, which German never allows.

Why it catches you out. English barely conjugates: only the third person adds -s. So the shock is the number of endings, and the ones that get dropped are du (-st) and ihr (-t), because English has nothing there. The good news: you already keep the subject in every sentence.