Weak, strong and mixed verbs
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What are weak, strong and mixed verbs?
In this lesson we will learn the different German verbs; weak, strong and mixed verbs. Pay attention and don't worry if you don't remember all at once. Don't forget! Practice makes perfect. Let's begin with German weak verbs. 
German weak verbs
These verbs are also called, 'regular verbs', they are verbs with no stem-vowel that changes with different tense. They infact take -te endings in the simple past and -t endings for their past participles.
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German irregular verbs (strong verbs)
These verbs are the opposite of weak verbs as they have stem vowel changes in different tenses. In the simple past, they take the same endings as mixed verbs, particularly there are no endings for 1st and 3r singular person their past participles end in -en.
German mixed verbs
If mixed sounds confusing, these verbs can also be called, irregular weak verbs. German vixed verbs are verbs with weak endings -te endings for simple past an subjunctive and -t endings for past participles, but which not regular. In other words, they have vowel changes.
How do I know which is which?
- If you have taken time to learn special forms of a verb, that one is probably a strong verb, this is because weak verbs are regular. When coming across new verbs, if it looks very unfamiliar to you, it is most likely to be a weak verb, If you've guess right, it will take the -te endings in the past and a -t in the past participle, also it will not have an stem-vowel changes.
- If the verb has an English cognate, the German verb is usually also strong if the English verb is strong, and weak if the English verb is weak.
Below are examples of the three different verb groups.
| German verbs | English Verbs |
|---|---|
| lachen, lachte, gelacht (weak) | laugh, laughed, laughed (weak) |
| singen, sang, gesungen (strong) | sing, sang, sung (strong) |
| lieben, liebte, geliebt (weak) | love, loved, loved (weak) |
| stehen, stand, gestanden (strong) | stand, stood, stood (strong) |
| leben, lebte, gelebt (weak) | live, lived, lived (weak) |
| sprechen, sprach, gesprochen (strong) | speak, spoke, spoken (strong) |
| kochen, kochte, gekocht (weak) | cook, cooked, cooked (weak) |
| bringen, brachte, gebracht (mixed) | bring, brought, brought (mixed) |
There are a few exceptions (in the table below), so be careful to avoid mistakes.
| German verbs | English verbs |
|---|---|
| rennen, rannte, gerannt (mixed) | run, ran, run (strong) |
| helfen, half, geholfen (strong) | help, helped, helped (weak) |
Lastly any verbs with the ending -ieren are weak. Remeber that these verbs do not take a -e when they get to form to the past participle. Examples;
| German verbs | ||
|---|---|---|
| studieren | studierte | hat studiert |
| explodieren | explodierte | ist explodiert |
| sich konzentrieren | konzentrierte sich | hat sich konzentriert |
We hope you have enjoyed this lesson and that now you understand the difference between the three German verb groups and you are confident in distinguishing them. Remember! If you have a doubt at anytime, go back and review the lesson to deeper your understanding.
Exercises
Drag and drop exercise on German verbs
Game on strong and weak verbs
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I am a native German speaker and am teaching English and German as foreign languages. I have got a teaching degree and have been teaching English and German for more than two years to all levels and age groups.
I personally prefer to speak in the learning language as much as possible and to focus on all four skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Moreover, I like to cover practical topics that can be used in your everyday life and make classes as diverse and dynamic as possible. Nevertheless, I am always open-minded to suggestions coming from students.
Concerning materials I like to use a course book and in addition worksheets, audios, videos, etc.
In case you have got any further questions, don't hesitate to contact me :)
O. I.
Anna is a very well prepared and good teacher. She is a good teacher, dedicated to teach you. Would recommend her for everyone who would like to learn German.
Anna A.
So with me you can learn all the tipps to improve or learn German. I also worked as an Engineer for several years so we can as well work on your vocabulary in a technical level.
I am a great fan of new cultures and languages.
Feel free to contact me for a class :)
E. L.
Olivia has been amazing in helping learn German in a crash course fashion. She has materials for exactly the things I needed to know and helped me understand the bare minimum (which is what I was going for) to help me get my ideas across and understand the structure of what people are saying. She is a fantastic teacher.
Olivia P.
Hi!
My name is Krisztina! I’m a teacher of German and French with the corresponding qualifications. I've grown up in a bilingual family (Hungarian-German), so I speak both languages as a native language. I’ve been teaching for six years, so I’m able to estimate your needs, and to meet them. In my lessons, I recreat real life situations, so that you will be able to adapt yourselves to different circumstances. I’m a patient, positive and creative person, who is looking forward to see you in her lessons. So don’t hesitate to book a lesson with me.
R. .
Krisztina is extremely patient and is an excellent teacher. She gives great learning materials and the lessons are productive. Krisztina keeps the lessons focused and makes sure that you get the most out of the hour. I definitely recommend her.
Krisztina L.
Hello everyone and a big warm welcome to all the fellow language learners,
My name is Katerina, I’m a native Russian speaker and a foreign language teacher from St Petersburg, Russia. I’ve always been addicted to learning foreign languages, be it English, German, Spanish, Turkish or Arabic, so turning my passion into my job was just a matter of time. I have a Master’s degree in linguistics which taught me to understand the way the mechanism of a language works and thus to help my students see the logics behind the grammar rules. Being a constant language learner enables me to see the process from both sides and to predict the difficulties my students might face. The fact that I’m not a native speaker of English or German means I’ve been through exactly the same language-learning journey you’re about to take, and thanks to my personal experience as a student, I can make this road smooth for you.
I've had students of all ages, from pre-school kids to senior generation, and I feel comfortable working with both beginners and those who are eager to take their learning process to a new level. In my classes I encourage you to talk in the language we’re studying as much as possible, putting every single bit of knowledge into practice right away. If you’re a Russian-learner, I’d be glad to prove it to you that you can absolutely nail my mother-tongue - and yes, you’ll be able to make a small talk in Russian by the end of the first class even if you’re an absolute beginner! We’ll be focusing on the topics that are most relevant to your goals, while discovering the language and getting to know more about the culture of people who speak it.
I offer a short free trial class, for us to give each other a smile and discuss our teaching pattern, in order to ajust it to your goals and make our lessons the bee's knees :) See you soon!
S. B.
Ekaterina writes new words and sentences learnt during the lesson. She has got a very nice attitude and great accent! A pleasure to work with... yes, even in German!!!!!
Dear Silvia, thank you very much for your feedback! It's a real pleasure to have classes with you, and I hope you find them useful!