Strong Verbs and Vowel Changes in German

This section explains Strong Verbs and Vowel Changes in Strong Verbs in German Strong verbs in German are irregular verbs that undergo changes in their stem vowels in the past tense (both in the simple past and in the past participle). Unlike weak verbs, which follow a regular pattern, strong verbs can be more challenging as they do not follow a predictable pattern in their conjugation.

Conjugation of Strong Verbs in the Present Tense:

The present tense of strong verbs is regular for most subjects, and the conjugation follows the pattern of weak verbs for the present tense:

• ich (I) - e
• du (you, singular informal) - st
• er/sie/es (he/she/it) - t
• wir (we) - en
• ihr (you, plural informal) - t
• sie/Sie (they/you formal) - en

Example:

• sehen (to see)
  • Ich sehe (I see)
  • Du siehst (you see)
  • Er sieht (he sees)
  • Wir sehen (we see)
  • Ihr seht (you see, plural)
  • Sie sehen (they see)

Vowel Changes in Strong Verbs:

In the past tense (simple past and perfect), strong verbs undergo changes in their stem vowel. These changes often occur in the second and third person singular in the present tense and in the past forms (simple past and past participle). The changes vary depending on the verb, but here are the most common vowel changes:

• a → ä
• e → i
• e → ie
• o → ö
• u → ü
  • Present Tense:
    • ich sehe (I see)
    • du siehst (you see)
    • er sieht (he sees)
  • Simple Past:
    • ich sah (I saw)
    • du sahst (you saw)
    • er sah (he saw)
  • Past Participle:
    • gesehen (seen)
  • Present Tense:
    • ich fahre (I drive/go)
    • du fährst (you drive/go)
    • er fährt (he drives/goes)
  • Simple Past:
    • ich fuhr (I drove/went)
    • du fuhrst (you drove/went)
    • er fuhr (he drove/went)
  • Past Participle:
    • gefahren (driven/gone)
  • Present Tense:
    • ich esse (I eat)
    • du isst (you eat)
    • er isst (he eats)
  • Simple Past:
    • ich aß (I ate)
    • du aßest (you ate)
    • er aß (he ate)
  • Past Participle:
    • gegessen (eaten)
  • Present Tense:
    • ich laufe (I run)
    • du läufst (you run)
    • er läuft (he runs)
  • Simple Past:
    • ich lief (I ran)
    • du liefst (you ran)
    • er lief (he ran)
  • Past Participle:
    • gelaufen (run)

Examples of Vowel Changes in Strong Verbs:

sehen (to see)

fahren (to drive/go)

essen (to eat)

laufen (to run)

Conjugation of Strong Verbs in the Past Tense (Simple Past and Perfect):

Simple Past 
The simple past of strong verbs is used more commonly in written German, such as in stories or narratives.

• fahren (to drive)
  • Ich fuhr (I drove)
  • Du fuhrst (you drove)
  • Er fuhr (he drove)
  • Wir fuhren (we drove)
  • Ihr fuhrt (you drove, plural)
  • Sie fuhren (they drove)
• sehen (to see)
  • Ich sah (I saw)
  • Du sahst (you saw)
  • Er sah (he saw)
  • Wir sahen (we saw)
  • Ihr saht (you saw, plural)
  • Sie sahen (they saw)

Past Participle 
The past participle is used in the perfect tense, which is the more common spoken form of the past in German. It uses the auxiliary verb haben (to have).

• fahren → gefahren
  • Ich bin gefahren. (I have driven.)
• sehen → gesehen
  • Ich habe gesehen. (I have seen.)
  • Ich esse (I eat)
  • Du isst (you eat)
  • Er isst (he eats)
  • Ich habe gegessen (I have eaten)
  • Ich aß (I ate)
  • Ich fahre (I drive/go)
  • Du fährst (you drive/go)
  • Er fährt (he drives/goes)
  • Ich bin gefahren (I have driven)
  • Ich fuhr (I drove)
  • Ich laufe (I run)
  • Du läufst (you run)
  • Er läuft (he runs)
  • Wir sind gelaufen (we have run)
  • Ich lief (I ran)
  • Ich sehe (I see)
  • Du siehst (you see)
  • Er sieht (he sees)
  • Ich habe gesehen (I have seen)
  • Ich sah (I saw)

Foundation Tier Example:

essen (to eat)

fahren (to drive/go)

Higher Tier Example:

laufen (to run)

sehen (to see)

Summary:

• Strong verbs undergo vowel changes in the present tense (for second and third person singular) and in the past tense (both in the simple past and the past participle).
• The most common vowel changes are: a → ä, e → i, e → ie, o → ö, u → ü.
• The simple past tense is used in written German, while the perfect tense (using the auxiliary verb haben and the past participle) is used more in spoken German.

Key Vocabulary:

• Strong verb: Starker Verb (verb that changes vowel in past tense)
• Past participle: Partizip Perfekt (verb form used with auxiliary verbs in perfect tense)
• Vowel change: Vokalwechsel (change of the vowel in the verb stem)