Irregular verbs have a different stem for the past tense and add different endings than those of the regular verbs. You will have to memorize these stems, as they are unpredictable.
Irregular Stems
| singen-to sing |
sang- |
|
bleiben-to stay |
blieb- |
|
sehen-to see |
sah- |
| fahren-to ride, travel |
fuhr- |
|
essen-to eat |
aß- |
|
sprechen-to speak |
sprach- |
| finden-to find |
fand- |
|
fliegen-to fly |
flog- |
|
stehen-to stand |
stand- |
| lesen-to read |
las- |
|
geben-to give |
gab- |
|
tragen-to carry |
trug- |
| nehmen-to take |
nahm- |
|
rufen-to call |
rief- |
|
waschen-to wash |
wusch- |
| kommen-to come |
kam- |
|
schlafen-to sleep |
schlief- |
|
helfen-to help |
half- |
| gehen-to go |
ging- |
|
schreiben-to write |
schrieb- |
|
nennen-to name |
nann- |
Irregular Imperfect Endings
| - |
-en |
| -st |
-t |
| - |
-en |
Note: There are no endings for the 1st and 3rd person singular. If the verb stem ends in an s sound (such as aß-), the du form ending becomes -est (du aßest.) If the verb stem ends in -t or -d, the ihr form ending becomes -et while the du form ending sometimes becomes -est. Most verb stems do add -est in the du form, but some do not. For example, finden is conjugated without the -e- (du fandst) while sich befinden is conjugated with the -e- (du befandest dich.) Similarly, stehen is conjugated without the -e- (du standst) while verstehen is conjugated with the -e- (du verstandest.) The other main verbs that are conjugated without the -e- are braten (brietst; to roast), erfinden (erfandst, to invent), laden (ludst, to invite), leiden (littst, to suffer), and schneiden (schnittst, to cut).
Location vs. Direction
When talking about locations, the prepositions in, an, auf and bei (followed by the dative case) are used to signify fixed locations, while aus and von (also followed by the dative case) are used to signify origin.
| in |
enclosed spaces |
Ich bin in der Kirche.
Wir sind in der Schule. |
I'm at church.
We are at school. |
| an |
denotes border or limiting area |
Er ist am See.
Das Bild ist an der Wand. |
He is at the lake.
The picture is on the wall. |
| auf |
on surfaces, or at public buildings |
Es ist auf dem Tisch.
Sie sind auf der Bank. |
It's on the table.
They are at the bank. |
| bei |
before name of place or business
where someone lives or works |
Ich arbeite bei McDonald's.
Ich wohne bei meiner Tante. |
I work at McDonald's.
I live at my Aunt's (house). |
| aus |
comes from enclosed or defined space,
such as country, town or building |
Sie kommt aus dem Zimmer.
Ich komme aus den USA. |
She comes from the bedroom.
I come from the USA. |
| von |
comes from open space,
particular direction or person |
Das Auto kommt von rechts.
Ich weiß es von ihm. |
The car comes from the right.
I know it from him. |
When talking about directions or going to a place, the prepositions in and auf followed by the accusative case or zu and nach followed by the dative case are used.
| in |
building or enclosed space; countries
and cities that have definite articles* |
Ich gehe in die Kirche.
Ich fliege in die USA. |
I'm going to church.
I'm flying to the USA. |
| auf |
open spaces or public buildings |
Er geht auf den Markt.
Ich gehe auf die Bank. |
He's going to the market.
I'm going to the bank. |
| zu |
specifically named buildings or places,
and people |
Sie geht zum Strand.
Sie gehen zu McDonald's. |
She's going to the beach.
They're going to McDonald's. |
| nach |
countries and cities that have no articles |
Ich fliege nach Österreich.
Ich fliege nach Paris. |
I'm flying to Austria.
I'm flying to Paris. |
* Only a few countries include the articles, such as der Iran (m.), die Niederlande (pl.), die Schweiz (f.), die Türkei (f.), and die USA (pl.), because they are not neuter.
Note: Remember the two idioms with Haus: zu Hause is a location and means at home, while nach Hause is a direction and means (to) home.
