10. German language A1 : Pronouns & Verb Conjugation

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.

PronounMeaningUsage
ichIFirst person singular
duyou (informal)Friends, family, people you know well
Sieyou (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:

SubjectVerb EndingExample with wohnen (to live)
ich-eich wohne
du-stdu wohnst
Sie-enSie wohnen

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


🏠 Verb Conjugation: wohnen (to live)

PronounConjugationExample Sentence
ichwohneIch wohne in Berlin. (I live in Berlin.)
duwohnstWo wohnst du? (Where do you live?)
SiewohnenWo wohnen Sie? (Where do you live? – formal)

🌍 Verb Conjugation: kommen (to come)

PronounConjugationExample Sentence
ichkommeIch komme aus Indien. (I come from India.)
dukommstWoher kommst du? (Where are you from?)
SiekommenWoher kommen Sie? (Where are you from? – formal)

🧑‍💼 Verb Conjugation: heißen (to be called)

PronounConjugationExample Sentence
ichheißeIch heiße Yogin. (My name is Yogin.)
duheißtWie heißt du? (What’s your name?)
SieheißenWie heißen Sie? (What’s your name? – formal)

🗣️ Verb Conjugation: sprechen (to speak)

⚡ This verb is slightly irregular for “du.”

PronounConjugationExample Sentence
ichsprecheIch spreche Deutsch. (I speak German.)
dusprichstSprichst du Englisch? (Do you speak English?)
SiesprechenSprechen 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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