10. German language A1 : Pronouns & Verb Conjugation

When learning German, one of the very first steps is to understand personal pronouns and how verb conjugation works. Unlike English, where verbs often stay the same, in German the verb ending changes depending on who is doing the action.

In today’s lesson, we’ll cover:
✅ Personal Pronouns: ich, du, Sie
✅ Verb endings based on the subject
✅ Conjugation of basic verbs: wohnen, kommen, heißen, sprechen

👤 Personal Pronouns: Who’s Talking?

German personal pronouns tell us who is performing the action.

Pronoun	Meaning	Usage
ich	I	First person singular
du	you (informal)	Friends, family, people you know well
Sie	you (formal)	Polite/formal situations, strangers, authority figures

👉 Important: Sie (formal “you”) is always written with a capital S.

🔄 How Verb Conjugation Works

In German, verb endings change depending on the subject.

Here’s the basic pattern for regular verbs:

Subject	Verb Ending	Example with wohnen (to live)
ich	-e	ich wohne
du	-st	du wohnst
Sie	-en	Sie wohnen

🎯 Tip: First identify the subject, then apply the correct ending.

🏠 Verb Conjugation: wohnen (to live)

Pronoun	Conjugation	Example Sentence
ich	wohne	Ich wohne in Berlin. (I live in Berlin.)
du	wohnst	Wo wohnst du? (Where do you live?)
Sie	wohnen	Wo wohnen Sie? (Where do you live? – formal)

🌍 Verb Conjugation: kommen (to come)

Pronoun	Conjugation	Example Sentence
ich	komme	Ich komme aus Indien. (I come from India.)
du	kommst	Woher kommst du? (Where are you from?)
Sie	kommen	Woher kommen Sie? (Where are you from? – formal)

🧑‍💼 Verb Conjugation: heißen (to be called)

Pronoun	Conjugation	Example Sentence
ich	heiße	Ich heiße Yogin. (My name is Yogin.)
du	heißt	Wie heißt du? (What’s your name?)
Sie	heißen	Wie heißen Sie? (What’s your name? – formal)

🗣️ Verb Conjugation: sprechen (to speak)

⚡ This verb is slightly irregular for “du.”

Pronoun	Conjugation	Example Sentence
ich	spreche	Ich spreche Deutsch. (I speak German.)
du	sprichst	Sprichst du Englisch? (Do you speak English?)
Sie	sprechen	Sprechen Sie Spanisch? (Do you speak Spanish? – formal)

📝 Summary

Always start with the subject (pronoun).
Then, add the correct verb ending (-e, -st, -en).
Remember that Sie (formal “you”) always uses the -en ending, just like they in German.

👉 These patterns form the foundation of German fluency. In upcoming lessons, we’ll look at irregular verbs, exceptions, and more useful expressions.

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