Presensformen

Presensformen are the verb forms used to express the present tense in many languages, most notably in German grammar. They encompass the set of inflected endings and stem changes that indicate the present time, as well as some forms that can convey near-future or habitual meanings depending on context.

In German, Präsens is formed by attaching person-specific endings to the verb stem, with regular verbs following a predictable pattern. For most weak verbs, the endings are: ich -e, du -st, er/sie/es -t, wir -en, ihr -t, sie/Sie -en. Examples: lernen → ich lerne, du lernst, er lernt, wir lernen, ihr lernt, sie lernen. Some verbs undergo stem changes (umlaut or vowel alternations) in certain persons, such as fahren: ich fahre, du fährst, er fährt, wir fahren, ihr fahrt, sie fahren. Verbs ending in -ieren behave similarly to regular verbs in their endings (ich arbeite, du arbeitest, er arbeitet, wir arbeiten, ihr arbeitet, sie arbeiten). Irregular verbs deviate from the standard pattern and include sein, haben and werden: ich bin, du bist, er ist, wir sind, ihr seid, sie sind; ich habe, du hast, er hat, wir haben, ihr habt, sie haben; ich werde, du wirst, er wird, wir werden, ihr werdet, sie werden.

Presensformen are used to denote present time, general truths, current actions, and habitual events. They can also express near-future meaning when accompanied by temporal adverbs or context, and sometimes describe ongoing states with adverbs like gerade or am + Infinitiv in colloquial usage.

Across languages, presens forms share the function of marking present-time reference, but their exact endings and stem changes vary by language’s conjugation system. See also Präsens, Konjugation, and Verb.