German Present Tense: Regular Endings and Useful Exceptions
The German present tense changes the verb ending to match the subject: ich lerne, du lernst, er lernt. It covers actions now and many general habits, without a separate English-style continuous form. Some verbs change their stem or use irregular forms. Learn a regular pattern, then attach the exceptions to common verbs you actually need.
Published 19 August 2026 · Updated 13 October 2026
English separates “I learn” and “I am learning”. German often uses Ich lerne for both. Context supplies the difference, which means your first useful verb pattern can cover more than you expect.
One regular verb
The infinitive, or dictionary verb form, is lernen — to learn. Remove -en to get the stem lern-, then add the ending.
Subject
German
English
ich
lerne
I learn / am learning
du
lernst
you learn, informal singular
er / sie / es
lernt
he / she / it learns
wir
lernen
we learn
ihr
lernt
you learn, informal plural
sie / Sie
lernen
they learn / you learn formally
Lowercase sie can mean she or they. The verb makes the distinction visible: sie lernt versus sie lernen. Formal Sie takes the plural-style verb even when you address one person.
Small spelling adjustments
Some stems need an extra e to make the ending pronounceable: arbeiten → du arbeitest, er arbeitet, ihr arbeitet. Verbs whose stems end in a s-like sound do not add a second s for du: heißen → du heißt, not heißst.
Treat these as adjustments to a pattern, rather than evidence that the pattern has collapsed. Say the forms aloud; the extra vowel in arbeitest has a practical sound job.
Stem changes worth learning early
Sprechen becomes du sprichst, er spricht. Lesen becomes du liest, er liest. Fahren becomes du fährst, er fährt. In these present-tense verbs, the change affects du and er/sie/es, not every subject: wir sprechen, wir lesen, wir fahren.
Do not change every e to i whenever you see du. Lernen is regular. Learn the small irregular set together with a useful question: Sprichst du Deutsch? — Do you speak German?
Habit, now and a planned future
Ich arbeite jeden Tag means I work every day. Ich arbeite gerade means I’m working right now; gerade makes the immediate sense clear. Morgen arbeite ich means I’m working tomorrow. A future time expression can make a present-tense sentence refer to a future event.
There is also a German future construction with werden, but you do not need to put it into every sentence about tomorrow. Choose the form that fits the context rather than mechanically translating English will.
A short practice exchange
Was machst du? — Ich lerne Deutsch. Und du? — Ich arbeite. What are you doing? — I’m learning German. And you? — I’m working.
Complete Wir ___ Deutsch with lernen and Du ___ heute with arbeiten. Answers: lernen, arbeitest. Now say both without looking, and change one time detail. That is the first step towards using the pattern while your attention is on the conversation.