Present tense in German
MFL, German grammar. Usually met in years 7 to 11.
Choose the right form of common German verbs in the present tense, for what happens now or usually.
What you practise
- Matching the verb to the person (I, you, we and so on)
- Regular and irregular verbs
- Telling this tense apart from the others
Starts with the most common verbs and adds irregular ones level by level. Practice moves up a level when a round goes well and down when it does not.
Sample questions
Each sample comes with the method and the reason every wrong option is wrong. Real practice rounds are ten questions at your level.
Sample question, level 2 of 5
er / sie / es … (machen, to do, to make): which is the present tense?
- machst
- machen
- mache
- hat gemacht
- macht
Show the answer and method
Answer: E, macht
The method: With ‘er / sie / es’ (he or she), the present tense of ‘machen’ is ‘macht’.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A, machst: ‘machst’ goes with ‘du’, not ‘er / sie / es’.
- B, machen: ‘machen’ goes with ‘wir’, not ‘er / sie / es’.
- C, mache: ‘mache’ goes with ‘ich’, not ‘er / sie / es’.
- D, hat gemacht: ‘hat gemacht’ is the past tense, not the present tense.
Sample question, level 4 of 5
wir … (können, to be able to): which is the present tense?
- könnt
- kannst
- kann
- können
- haben gekonnt
Show the answer and method
Answer: D, können
The method: With ‘wir’ (we), the present tense of ‘können’ is ‘können’.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A, könnt: ‘könnt’ goes with ‘ihr’, not ‘wir’.
- B, kannst: ‘kannst’ goes with ‘du’, not ‘wir’.
- C, kann: ‘kann’ goes with ‘er / sie / es’, not ‘wir’.
- E, haben gekonnt: ‘haben gekonnt’ is the past tense, not the present tense.
See where this fits: every language topic and Key Stage 3.
Related topics: Past tense (perfect), Future tense, Articles and cases, Word order and negatives.
