1. Sein (To Be) — The Most Important Verb
The verb sein is irregular. It does not follow standard rules, so you need to memorize it first.
| Subject | German Form | English Meaning | Simple Example | Translation |
| ich | bin | I am | Ich bin müde. | I am tired. |
| du | bist | you are (informal) | Du bist klug. | You are smart. |
| er/sie/es | ist | he/she/it is | Er ist hier. | He is here. |
| wir | sind | we are | Wir sind froh. | We are happy. |
| ihr | seid | you all are | Ihr seid nett. | You all are nice. |
| sie/Sie | sind | they / You (formal) are | Sie sind Lehrer. | They are teachers. |
2. Machen (To Do / To Make) — A Regular Verb
The verb machen is a regular verb. It follows a predictable pattern. You just take the root (mach-) and add the standard endings: -e, -st, -t, -en, -t, -en.
| Subject | German Form | English Meaning | Simple Example | Translation |
| ich | mache | I do / make | Ich mache Sport. | I do sports. |
| du | machst | you do / make | Du machst Hausaufgaben. | You do homework. |
| er/sie/es | macht | he/she/it does / makes | Er macht Kaffee. | He makes coffee. |
| wir | machen | we do / make | Wir machen Urlaub. | We take a vacation. |
| ihr | macht | you all do / make | Ihr macht Musik. | You all make music. |
| sie/Sie | machen | they / You do / make | Sie machen das gut. | You do that well. |
3. Sprechen (To Speak) — Vowel Change from E to I
The verb sprechen uses regular endings, but the root vowel changes from e to i for the words du and er/sie/es.
| Subject | German Form | English Meaning | Simple Example | Translation |
| ich | spreche | I speak | Ich spreche Deutsch. | I speak German. |
| du | sprichst | you speak | Du sprichst gut Englisch. | You speak English well. |
| er/sie/es | spricht | he/she/it speaks | Er spricht laut. | He speaks loudly. |
| wir | sprechen | we speak | Wir sprechen viel. | We speak a lot. |
| ihr | sprecht | you all speak | Ihr sprecht Spanisch. | You all speak Spanish. |
| sie/Sie | sprechen | they / You speak | Sie sprechen langsam. | They speak slowly. |
4. Lesen (To Read) — Vowel Change from E to IE
Just like sprechen, the verb lesen changes its vowel for du and er/sie/es. The e becomes an ie.
| Subject | German Form | English Meaning | Simple Example | Translation |
| ich | lese | I read | Ich lese ein Buch. | I read a book. |
| du | liest | you read | Du liest eine Zeitschrift. | You read a magazine. |
| er/sie/es | liest | he/she/it reads | Sie liest die Zeitung. | She reads the newspaper. |
| wir | lesen | we read | Wir lesen gerne. | We like to read. |
| ihr | lest | you all read | Ihr lest einen Text. | You all read a text. |
| sie/Sie | lesen | they / You read | Sie lesen ein Comic. | You read a comic. |
Practice Makes Perfect!
Mastering these four verbs gives you a great start for basic conversations. Try writing three simple sentences using these verbs in the comments below!