The Irregular Verbs in German Are Very Easy To Learn

By the way, I assume that you are already familiar with the regular verbs in the present and the past tense in German. If not, please work through those first and come back when they are crystal clear.

Now, let's learn the German irregular verbs for good in less than two hours. Are you ready? I called my business SmarterGerman for a reason. The following ten sentences (plus one hidden in the text) will save you lots of time and frustration. For now just take mental note of them. We'll get back to them later.

The Good News

There are not that many irregular verbs in German. There are around 200 irregular German base verbs for learners to deal with. Just to give you some perspective: in French they have counted 570 of those. Even English has more with 283 irregular verbs. One way to deal with this problem would be to switch to learning Turkish (7 simple irregular verbs) or Chinese with only one. Tempting, right?

The Regular Verbs in German

We can't talk about irregular verbs without at least quickly diving into regular verbs.
Regular German verbs always follow clear, 100% reliable patterns in all tenses. In the Präsens, you always take their stem e.g. mach in case of mach.en. In the Präteritum, they always add te before the personal ending. Example: du mach.te.st – the te shows it's regular. In the Perfekt, the regular past participle most of the time starts with ge and ends in t: Example: ge.mach.t. That's it. Easy enough. Test whether you already got this with the following quiz. Can you build the regular Präteritum and the regular past participle (which we need for the Perfekt) of these verbs just applying what you just read? Share your answers in the comments below.

The Irregular Verbs in German

Now that that's out of the way, let's take a look at an irregular German verb like e.g. "fahr.en". In the Präsens (present tense) we have:

*Remember: in Präsens "irregular" for 90% of irregular verbs means a change of the stem vowel (the "a" in "fahr") in the 2nd and 3rd person singular. All other persons behave 100% regularly. There are a handful of exceptions that also alter the "ich" like "wissen - ich weiß" and the modal verbs e.g. "können - ich kann" but for now you can ignore that.

In the past however, the verb "fahren" changes to:

You can see that there is no more -te- like we had in the Präteritum nor is there a -t anymore at the end of the past participle. Instead we'll pretty much always have an -en at the end. The fact that these "endings" are missing is giving away the fact that this verb is irregular. In the Präteritum you might also notice that the ich and es forms don't have an ending. So it's NOT "Ich fuhr.e" or "Er fuhr.t"

The Core Fraction

The three most common German irregular verbs are "sein" (to be), "haben" (to have), and "werden" (to become). Here is the conjugation of "sein" (to be) in the present tense. It's the most common and most irregular German verb:

Here is the conjugation in the present tense of "haben" (to have), used to express possession and also as one of the auxiliary verbs used to create the past in German, just as in English:

Here is the conjugation of "werden" in the present tense:

Verb Stem Changes in the Present and Past Tense

German irregular verbs, also at times known as strong verbs (starke verben), often manifest themselves in the Präteritum and Perfekt tense. The forms of the Präteritum are commonly used in literature in German, while the Perfekt is more prevalent in spoken communication. "spoken" includes written short messages and even email. Basically, anything non scientific and non-literature.

Typically, the stem vowels of these irregular verbs undergo alterations in one or both past tenses. In English many verbs show similar patterns of vowel changes, for example: "sing – sang – sung", compared to "singen – sang – gesungen" in German.

So, in the present tense, "ich habe" predictably means, as we have seen, "I have", "ich kann" translates to "I can," "ich muss" means "I must," and "ich soll" - "I should." Then, for "I may" we say "ich darf", and for "I like" - "ich mag."

What's the Problem?

Compare the following common verbs:

While "machen" keeps its form -mach- intact throughout all tenses "fahren" changes from fahr- to fähr-, fuhr- and back to -fahr-. But you might also notice that it is actually always only a single letter that changes: "a" becomes "ä" becomes "u" becomes "a" again.

As you usually learn the infinitive form when you learn the word and as the present tense is widely used, pretty regular even if a verb is irregular and therefore usually quickly correctly acquired, we can neglect these two forms (the infinitive and the Präsens form) and focus on the changes in Präteritum and Perfekt: "u" and "a".

About Time Travel and its Long-lasting Effects on Your Memory

I love to take time to get things right and clear because the time one invests in acquiring information is the most important factor in efficient learning long term.

Almost always when people say that they have forgotten something it is instead the case that they have not learned it properly.

Unless you have psychological or biological issues, like that of being around 80 years old, you won't easily forget things that you have learned properly. The problem lies in the proper acquisition.

The A And U Of Learning Irreg. Verbs

Back to our friend "a" and its colleague "u". Let's say you wanted to learn that "fahren" with the help of "a" and "u" changes to "fuhr" and "gefahren".

While you could learn these by mere repetition for a hundred times over a certain period of time, I would recommend actually involving your brain and its vast prior knowledge that you have gathered over the last decades (supposing you are older than ten, of course!).

One Last Thing Before the Show Begins

Order is a lovely invention, as our memory loves it. For the following technique, you will have to keep in mind that we always only deal with so-called vowels (these are the five letters a,e,i,o,u) and that the first vowel we use is always the one used in the irregular Präteritum-form of the German verb and the second one is for the irregular Perfekt-form.

Finally: The Secret Technique

If you want to learn the past forms of the verb "fahren" you should learn the following sentence by imagining it. By imagining I mean, close your eyes (after reading these lines, please) for as long as you need to get a clear idea.

Note that I didn't write "picture" instead of "idea" as imagination is different for all of us. Imagine your mother or someone else if that is not a nice memory. If you can do that, you can imagine the sentence below.

Imagine it as vividly as you can. This is crucial. If you don't do that, you might as well learn it like my grandparents did it in elementary school. But let me tell you, they didn't like it. Not at all. Vividly means take what comes to your mind after reading the example sentence in a minute and add some flavour.

Try to hear something, to smell or even touch. You can do that I am sure. Can you imagine what a football feels like? How fish smells? How a lemon tastes when you heartily take a bite of it?

If you can't, don't give up. Keep trying. It will change your life (I didn't say for the better). Here we go. Please imagine, as vividly as possible the following sentence:

She/He drives to UGANDA. (Sie/Er fährt nach Uganda)

[You can also replace Uganda with US, Utah, Sumatra or any other place that has the first two vowels u and a. Don't take just any other place or the method will not work.]

"Whaaaaaat?"

Let's analyze this example, and then I will provide you with nine further sentences to get you started. You might be able to create your own memory sentences afterwards, or you just try out my Irregular Verb Wizard app. The button's gotta be somewhere on this page.

In "He drives to Uganda", Uganda is a so-called keyword. The most important word next to the third person singular verb whose forms you might want to learn. The aim is to firmly associate "drive" with "Uganda". This is done in the imagination. If this link breaks, you have wasted your time, so make the image strong.

In Uganda the first two vowels are "U" and "a". Do you remember what you use the first vowel for? Correct. For the Präteritum.

So, knowing the grammar enables you to prepare the Präteritum form almost completely: "f_hr". The only thing missing is the "U" from our keyword "Uganda". Add this and you have created the correct form "fuhr" with ease and fun.

Just to complete the pattern: The Perfekt can be built almost completely as well: To "gef_hren." add the "a" from Uganda, et voilá you have just built the perfect Perfekt-form: gefahren.

Achtung, Baby!

The third or any further vowel doesn't ever come into play. They are just decoration! Should there be just one vowel, e.g. in "fish", "wind" or "bikini" that means that both Präteritum and Perfekt take the "i(e)".

The Small Print

At the beginning of this article there are ten examples of memory sentences for training reasons. Scroll up, imagine them thoroughly and take a longer break afterwards.

Take a walk or go shopping. Then go to the very end of this article and try to complete the irregular forms of the given verbs. The answers can be found in the comments.

Once Doesn't Count

I hope you got the idea and enjoyed reading a bit about German grammar. As always I encourage you todo not try to be perfect nor 100% correct.

I have a very practical view of teaching German and tend to simplify things for the sake of understanding but without sacrificing quality. Details will come with time and you will have a solid base by then.

You should nevertheless know that not all German irregular verbs end in -en. The following verbs are a bit peculiar. This list might not be complete.

Neither have I handled those few words that change a bit more than the vowel (nehmen, gehen, essen etc.) You will pick it up on the go. I trust in your abilities. If not you know where to find me.

I have also ignored the topic of creating the Perfekt-tense with haben or sein. There is another article about that (German perfect tense – sein).

Enjoy your training and learning the German language. It is simpler than you might think.

Epilogue

After having learned the ten sentences at the beginning of this article take a longer break and don't forget to come back to check how much you still remember and to experience how easily you can now construct the German irregular verbs. What are the keywords and the forms of the following German verbs?

Do you want to practice more? Try the Irregular Verbs Wizard web app. The app is free and has lots of fun artwork to help you remember the key irregular verbs!

FAQs about irregular German verbs

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about the conjugation of strong verbs in German.

How many irregular verbs are in German?

There is no fixed number of irregular verbs in German, but estimates suggest there are about 200 core verbs which can be easily memorized over the course of one weekend.

Why is "fahren" an irregular verb in German?

The verb "fahren" is considered irregular in German due to its deviation from the standard conjugation patterns. In the present tense, it undergoes a vowel change in the 2nd and 3rd person singular (e.g. es fährt) and doesn't follow the regular conjugation rules observed by most verbs. This irregularity sets it and most other irregular verbs apart from regular verbs in the language.

How do you learn regular and irregular verbs in German?

Learning regular and irregular German verbs involves a combination of memorization, practice, and exposure to the language. Regular verbs typically follow established conjugation patterns, while irregular verbs require specific attention due to their deviations. You can easily memorize them with help of the technique described in this article or with help of my Irregular Verb Wizard web app which I linked to a few times in this article. Consistent practice through reading, listening, and using verbs in context aids in mastering both regular and irregular forms.

How do you form irregular verbs in German?

Forming irregular verbs in German involves understanding the unique conjugation patterns they follow. Unlike regular verbs, irregular verbs may change their stems or vowels in certain tenses. To master them, it's crucial to study each verb individually, memorize their forms in different tenses, and practice using them in sentences to reinforce their usage in context. Ideally you are working with a well structured course like my courses. Try them out. They are currently available for free (as of June 26) but that can change if I don't find enough supporters to pay the bills.

Summing Up: Mastering German Irregular Verbs

While irregular verbs may seem daunting, we can also try to tap into the brain's love for order and employing imaginative learning and let this unique approach revolutionize traditional methods.

Skip the random and boring grammar drills. Learn German irregular verbs once—and properly. A few focused hours are all it takes.