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Basic verb conjugation: present tense patterns to learn visualisation

Basic verb conjugation: present tense patterns to learn

Navigate Ukrainian Grammar: A Beginner's Guide to Mastery: Basic verb conjugation: present tense patterns to learn
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Basic verb conjugation in present tense follows distinct patterns depending on the language and verb type but generally involves changing the verb form to match the subject (person and number).

English Present Tense Patterns

English has four main present tense forms:

  • Present Simple: Uses the base verb form. In the third person singular, add -s or -es (e.g., “he works,” “she watches”). If the verb ends with a consonant + y, change y to -ies (e.g., “carries”).
  • Present Continuous: Formed with “am/is/are” + verb + -ing (e.g., “I am working,” “she is reading”). Used for actions happening now or temporary situations.
  • Present Perfect: Formed with “have/has” + past participle (e.g., “I have worked,” “she has gone”). Used for actions extending from the past into the present or recently completed actions.
  • Present Perfect Continuous: Formed with “have/has been” + verb + -ing (e.g., “I have been working”). Used to emphasize the duration of an ongoing action started in the past.

German Present Tense Patterns

German present tense conjugates verbs with specific endings added to the stem, depending on the subject pronoun:

  • Regular verbs: Add -e, -st, -t, -en, -t, -en to the verb stem for ich, du, er/sie/es, wir, ihr, sie/Sie respectively. Example with “lernen” (to learn):

    • ich lerne
    • du lernst
    • er lernt
    • wir lernen
    • ihr lernt
    • sie lernen

  • Irregular verbs often change the stem vowel in the 2nd and 3rd person singular forms. Example with “sprechen” (to speak):

    • ich spreche
    • du sprichst
    • er spricht

  • Modal and reflexive verbs have additional conjugation rules or patterns.

English and German verb conjugation both depend heavily on subject agreement and specific rules for irregular forms, but German verbs typically require distinct endings for each subject pronoun, while English typically changes only the third person singular in simple present.

This overview covers the basic and most common present tense conjugation patterns to learn for English and German as examples of basic verb conjugation patterns in present tense. 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9

References

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