German tenses indicate when an action or state of being occurs. There are three main tenses: present, past, and future. Each tense has several forms, which are used to express different aspects of time.

Present Tense

The present tense is used to describe actions or states of being that are happening now, habits, and general truths.

• Present indicative: This is the most common form of the present tense. It is used to describe actions that are happening now or that are habitual.
  • Example: Ich esse jetzt gerade. (I am eating right now.)
  • Example: Ich gehe jeden Tag zur Schule. (I go to school every day.)
    
• Present progressive: This is used to describe actions that are in progress now.
  • Example: Ich lerne gerade Deutsch. (I am learning German right now.)
  • Example: Sie kocht gerade das Abendessen. (She is cooking dinner right now.)
• Present perfect: This is used to describe actions that have been completed but are still relevant to the present.
  • Example: Ich habe heute schon gegessen. (I have already eaten today.)
  • Example: Sie hat ihre Hausaufgaben gemacht. (She has done her homework.)
    

Past Tense

The past tense is used to describe actions or states of being that happened in the past.

• Simple past: This is the most common form of the past tense. It is used to describe actions that happened and are now completed.
  • Example: Ich habe gestern einen Film gesehen. (I watched a movie yesterday.)
  • Example: Er hat mir ein Geschenk gegeben. (He gave me a gift.)
    
• Preterite: This is a less common form of the past tense. It is used to describe actions that happened in the past and were completed before another past action.
  • Example: Als ich ankam, hatte er schon gegessen. (When I arrived, he had already eaten.)
  • Example: Sie sah mich und rannte weg. (She saw me and ran away.)
    
• Perfect: This is used to describe actions that happened in the past and are still relevant to the present.
  • Example: Ich habe vor zwei Jahren in Berlin gewohnt. (I lived in Berlin two years ago.)
  • Example: Sie hat viele Bücher geschrieben. (She has written many books.)

Future Tense

The future tense is used to describe actions or states of being that will happen in the future.

• Simple future: This is the most common form of the future tense. It is used to describe actions that will happen in the future.
  • Example: Ich werde morgen einen Brief schreiben. (I will write a letter tomorrow.)
  • Example: Er wird mich um sechs Uhr abholen. (He will pick me up at six o’clock.)
    
• Future continuous: This is used to describe actions that will be in progress at a certain time in the future.
  • Example: Ich werde um zehn Uhr fernsehen. (I will be watching TV at ten o’clock.)
  • Example: Sie wird den ganzen Tag arbeiten. (She will be working all day.)

Modal Verbs

Modal verbs are used to express possibility, probability, necessity, and permission.

• Can: This verb is used to express possibility.
  • Example: Ich kann Deutsch sprechen. (I can speak German.)
• Could: This verb is used to express possibility or to make a polite request.
  • Example: Könnten Sie mir bitte helfen? (Could you please help me?)
    
    
• Must: This verb is used to express necessity.
  • Example: Du musst deine Hausaufgaben machen. (You must do your homework.)

• Should: This verb is used to express obligation or advice.
  • Example: Du solltest mehr Obst essen. (You should eat more fruit.)

The imperative is used to give commands and instructions.

* Example: Iss dein Essen! (Eat your food!)

* Example: Komm näher! (Come closer!)

Examples of sentences using different tenses

• Present tense:
  • Example: Ich esse jetzt gerade. (I am eating right now.)
  • Example: Sie kocht gerade das Abendessen. (She is cooking dinner right now.)
  • Example: Ich habe heute schon gegessen. (I have already eaten today.)
• Past tense:
  • Example: Ich habe gestern einen Film gesehen. (I watched a movie yesterday.)
  • Example: Er hat mir ein Geschenk gegeben. (He gave me a gift.)
  • Example: Als ich ankam, hatte er schon gegessen. (When I arrived, he had already eaten.)
  • Example: Sie sah mich und rannte weg. (She saw me and ran away.)
  • Example: Ich habe vor zwei Jahren in Berlin gewohnt. (I lived in Berlin two years ago.)
  • Example: Sie hat viele Bücher geschrieben. (She has written many books.)
• Future tense:
  • Example: Ich werde morgen einen Brief schreiben. (I will write a letter tomorrow.)
  • Example: Er wird mich um sechs Uhr abholen. (He will pick me up at six o’clock.)
  • Example: Ich werde um zehn Uhr fernsehen. (I will be watching TV at ten o’clock.)
  • Example: Sie wird den ganzen Tag arbeiten. (She will be working all day.)

Examples of sentences using modal verbs

• Can:
  • Example: Ich kann Deutsch sprechen. (I can speak German.)
  • Example: Du kannst mir helfen. (You can help me.)
• Could:
  • Example: Könnten Sie mir bitte helfen? (Could you please help me?)
  • Example: Du könntest mir vielleicht die Tür öffnen. (You could maybe open the door for me.)
• May:
  • Example: Du darfst heute Abend ausgehen. (You can go out tonight.)
  • Example: Dürfte ich bitte die Toilette benutzen? (May I use the bathroom, please?)
• Must:
  • Example: Du musst deine Hausaufgaben machen. (You must do your homework.)
  • Example: Wir müssen aufpassen. (We must be careful.)
• Should:
  • Example: Du solltest mehr Obst essen. (You should eat more fruit.)
  • Example: Du solltest vielleicht früher schlafen gehen. (You should maybe go to bed earlier.)

Imperative sentences

• Example: Iss dein Essen! (Eat your food!)
• Example: Komm näher! (Come closer!)
• Example: Mach das Fenster zu! (Close the window!)
• Example: Lass mich in Ruhe! (Leave me alone!)
• Example: Sei still! (Be quiet!)