German Irregular Verbs: Sein & Haben
Sein (to be) and haben (to have) are arguably the two most important verbs in the entire German language β and neither one follows the regular pattern. In this lesson, we conjugate sein and haben fully in the present tense with all pronouns, then look at three more irregular verbs β sehen, lesen, and sprechen β that change their vowel in the du and er/sie/es forms.
Sein (to be): The Most Irregular Verb in German
sein β ich bin, du bist, er/sie/es ist, wir sind, ihr seid, sie/Sie sind. There's no shortcut here β sein simply has to be memorized, but it's used so constantly (Ich bin mΓΌde. / Er ist Lehrer.) that it becomes automatic quickly.
Haben (to have): Just as Essential
haben β ich habe, du hast, er/sie/es hat, wir haben, ihr habt, sie/Sie haben. Beyond meaning "to have" (Ich habe Zeit.), haben is also the auxiliary verb you'll need constantly later for building the Perfekt (past) tense β one more reason to nail it early.
Stem-Vowel Changing Verbs: sehen, lesen, sprechen
Some verbs are regular everywhere except the du and er/sie/es forms, where a vowel changes. sehen (to see): du siehst, er/sie/es sieht. lesen (to read): du liest, er/sie/es liest. sprechen (to speak): du sprichst, er/sie/es spricht. Everywhere else (ich, wir, ihr, sie), these three behave like completely regular verbs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you conjugate "sein" in the present tense?
Ich bin, du bist, er/sie/es ist, wir sind, ihr seid, sie/Sie sind.
How do you conjugate "haben" in the present tense?
Ich habe, du hast, er/sie/es hat, wir haben, ihr habt, sie/Sie haben.
Why is "haben" important beyond meaning "to have"?
Because haben is also the auxiliary verb used to build the Perfekt (past) tense for most German verbs later on.
What is a stem-vowel changing verb in German?
A verb that is regular in most forms but changes its stem vowel in the du and er/sie/es forms only, such as sehen (du siehst), lesen (du liest), or sprechen (du sprichst).
Is there a trick to memorizing "sein" and "haben"?
Not really β both are true irregular verbs with no reliable pattern, so the fastest path is repetition in real sentences until the forms feel automatic.
Related videos on verb conjugation, pronouns, and the alphabet are part of our full A1 German course.
