Weak verb endings: -e -st -t -en -t -en
Most German verbs are weak (regular) in the present (das Präsens): strip -en from the infinitive, then add the six endings -e, -st, -t, -en, -t, -en (machen -> mache, machst, macht). Two spelling fixes: a stem -t/-d inserts an epenthetic -e- before -st/-t (arbeiten -> du arbeitest, not arbeitst); a sibilant stem -s/-ß/-z/-x drops the du-ending's -s (reisen -> du reist). Full table in the note.
Strong verbs: vowel change in du/er only
A high-frequency group of strong verbs changes its stem vowel in exactly two persons — du and er/sie/es — and stays regular elsewhere. Patterns: a -> ä (fahren -> fährst/fährt), e -> ie (lesen -> liest for both), e -> i (sprechen -> sprichst/spricht; nehmen -> nimmst/nimmt, with consonant doubling). The wir, ihr, sie/Sie forms never change (wir fahren, ihr fahrt, sie fahren). Full table in the note.
Irregulars, reflexives & impersonal verbs
Three groups complete the present tense. sein, haben, werden are irregular in every person — learn them cold (ich bin/habe/werde, du bist/hast/wirst). Reflexive verbs (sich freuen) also need a reflexive pronoun agreeing with the subject: ich freue mich, du freust dich, er freut sich. Impersonals take opposite cases: es gibt + accusative (Es gibt einen Park), es gefällt + dative (Es gefällt mir). Full tables in the note.
Drawn from real examiner reports.
ich hat / ich gehen (wrong ending)
An ending that does not match the subject is a recurring Accuracy fault — a third-person or infinitive form after ich:
Check the ending belongs to the subject on every sentence.
Cambridge 0525 Writing Accuracy, near-verbatim a year apart: "the mismatch between the subject and the verb (as in ich backen, ich hat gespielt)" (w22) becomes "(as in ich gehen, ich hat gespielt)" (w23) — ich hat gespielt repeated verbatim.
Vowel change: missing or over-spread
Two opposite errors on one rule. Missing the change: ✗ du fahrst, ✗ er nehmt -> du fährst, er nimmt (treating a strong verb as regular). Over-spreading it: ✗ wir fährt, ✗ sie spricht -> wir fahren, sie sprechen (assuming the plural changes too). The change belongs to exactly two persons — du and er/sie/es — never wir/ihr/sie.
Cambridge 0525 Writing Accuracy: "Present tense verb endings were frequently incorrect ... not always matched with the appropriate subject" (s22 42/43; s23 42/43; w23 42).
Reflexive pronoun dropped
A reflexive verb needs the conjugated verb AND a reflexive pronoun matching the subject. Under pressure — shifting to another person — candidates keep the verb but drop the pronoun:
Change subject, change pronoun.
Cambridge 0525 Reading (person-manipulation): "Sie fühlen gesünder" for "sich fühlen" (s22 22 Q4(a)); "candidates struggle to use reflexive verbs, so very often reflexive pronouns were omitted" (w23 22 Q4(c)).
Reflexive pronoun mismatched
When you change the subject of a reflexive verb, the pronoun must change with it — but candidates carry over the wrong one:
The set: ich mich, du dich, er/sie/es sich, wir uns, ihr euch, sie/Sie sich. Match the pronoun to the subject.
(general FL trap)
es gibt vs es gefällt: wrong case
The two impersonal expressions demand opposite cases, and candidates swap them:
Fix them together: gibt + accusative, gefällt + dative.
(general FL trap)
du arbeitst / du reisst endings
Two spelling adjustments to the du/er endings are often dropped:
Ignoring them produces unsayable clusters.
(general FL trap)
Vowel change carries into the plural
Because du and er/sie/es change (fahren -> fährst, fährt), the vowel is carried into the plural: ✗ wir fährt, ✗ sie spricht -> wir fahren, sie sprechen. But the plain infinitive stem stays in wir, ihr, sie/Sie. The reverse is as common — a strong verb treated as regular (du fahrst, er nehmt). The change is exactly two persons, never more or fewer.
Cambridge 0525 Writing Accuracy: "Present tense verb endings were frequently incorrect ... not always matched with the appropriate subject" (s22 42/43; s23 42/43; w23 42).
Three-point present-tense check
Run three checks on any present-tense answer: (1) subject -> ending (ich -e, du -st, er -t, wir/sie -en, ihr -t) or the sein/haben/werden form; (2) strong verb? change the vowel ONLY on du and er/sie/es; (3) reflexive? add the pronoun matching the subject.
es gibt + accusative, es gefällt + dative
Fix the case before you write the noun: es gibt is always followed by the accusative (Es gibt einen Markt), while es gefällt takes the dative person who likes something (Es gefällt mir). They are opposites — pick the construction, then the case it demands.
Learn sein/haben/werden cold
sein, haben and werden are irregular in every person yet underpin every compound tense. Memorise all three tables until recall is automatic (ich bin/habe/werde, du bist/hast/wirst, er ist/hat/wird). A wrong du hast or er ist is an easy mark to lose.
The present tense (das Präsens) is German's everyday tense for facts, habits, and things happening now — "I play", "she drives", "we are". Most verbs are weak (regular); a smaller high-frequency group changes vowel just in du and er/sie/es; sein, haben and werden are irregular throughout.
Weak (regular) verb endings — strip -en from the infinitive, add:
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