present: spelling

Special Present Tense Conjugations in German

In German, most verbs follow a standard conjugation pattern. However, certain verb stems require minor adjustments to make them easier to pronounce or to reflect common spoken usage. Here are the most important special patterns:

1. Stems Ending in -s, -ß, -x, or -z

When a verb stem ends in a "sibilant" (an s-like sound), we do not add an extra -s for the second person singular (du). Instead of the usual -st ending, we only add a -t. This is because the "s" sound is already present in the stem.

• rasen (to race): du rast (you race) — instead of "rasst"
• faxen (to fax): du faxt (you fax)
• grüßen (to greet): du grüßt (you greet)
• sitzen (to sit): du sitzt (you sit)

Note: While you might see forms like "du sitzest" in very old literature or specific Swiss contexts, they are considered archaic in modern Standard German.

2. Verbs Ending in -el and -er

Verbs like klingeln (to ring) or wandern (to hike) have unique behaviors in the first person and plural forms.

• Infinitive and Plural: These verbs end in -n rather than the standard -en (e.g., wir klingeln, sie wandern).
• First Person Singular: In the ich form, the -e- inside the stem is often dropped, especially in speech.
  • ich klingle (I ring)
  • ich wandre or ich wandere (I hike)
• Spoken Shortening: In casual conversation, the final -e might disappear entirely: ich klingl, ich wander.

3. Stems Ending in Long Vowels or Diphthongs

When a verb stem ends in a long vowel or a diphthong (two vowels combined), the -e- in the conjugation endings is often omitted for brevity.

• tun (to do):
  • ich tu (I do)
  • du tust (you do)
  • er/sie/es tut (he/she/it does)
  • wir tun (we do)
  • ihr tut (you all do)
  • sie tun (they do)
• knien (to kneel): ich knie, du kniest, wir knien.
• schreien (to shout/scream): ich schreie, wir schreien.

4. Common Contractions in Spoken German

In everyday spoken German, many verbs lose the -e- in the -en ending. While this is most common in speech, you will sometimes see these shortened forms in informal writing or poetry.

• gehn instead of gehen (to go)
• schaun instead of schauen (to look)
• gesehn instead of gesehen (seen)