German Present Tense - Präsens
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The German present tense talks about things that are happening right now, in the present.
Examples:
Ich schreibe einen Artikel. - I am writing an article.
Du liest ihn gerade. - You are reading it right now.
Mein Freund bringt mir Orangenlimonade. - My friend is bringing me orange lemonade.
Wir unterhalten uns ein bisschen. - We are talking a little.
Ihr wollt wissen, worüber. - You want to know what (we're talking) about.
Draußen zwitschern die Vögel. - Outside, the birds are chirping.
The German present tense is also used if something happens regularly, always, all the time, or never.
Examples:
Ich arbeite als Autorin. - I work as a writer.
Du lernst nie aus. - You never stop learning.
Meine Freundin kauft immer im Biomarkt ein. - My friend always shops at the natural food store.
Wir finden das lobenswert. - We find that laudable.
Ihr lest regelmäßig Grammatikartikel. - You regularly read grammar articles.
Die Tauben trampeln dauernd durch die Blumenkästen. - The pigeons keep trampling through the flower boxes.
If something is a fact, or has already been decided or determined, the German present tense is also used - even if it is going to happen in the future.
Examples:
Ich gehe ins Theater und dann noch in die Kneipe. - I am going to the theater, and then to the pub.
Du bist ein Leser dieser Seite. - You are a reader of this page.
Die Zirkusvorstellung fängt morgen früh um zehn Uhr an. - The circus show starts tomorrow morning at ten.
Wir essen heute abend Bratwurst. - Tonight we're eating bratwurst.
Ihr kennt euch mit dem Präsens bereits hervorragend aus. - You already know the present tense very well.
Katzen sind mit Löwen und Tigern verwandt. - Cats are related with lions and tigers.
All example sentences above move from first person singular (Ich/ I) to third person plural (sie/ they). This makes it easy for you to see how verbs behave in the German present tense. Pay close attention to the endings!
Let me show you what I'm talking about:
Verb: gehen (to go)
Ich gehe (I go)
Du gehst (you go)
Er, sie, es geht (he/she/it goes)
Wir gehen (we go)
Ihr geht (you go)
Sie gehen (they go)
Very well - now this article is over, and I'm sure you are already curious about the next one, so why not read it right NOW?
Learn how to differentiate between German verb types in order to conjugate all of them correctly! Read:
Strong, Weak, and Mixed Verbs in German or search any verb in the list of German Verbs