German conjugation

The German conjugation (from the Latin coniugatio, connection ') deals with the flexion (bending ) of verbs in the German grammar.

Overview

The difference between strong verbs and weak verbs, as in all Germanic languages ​​is important in German. In the secondary conjugation of verbs distinguishes the German three persons ( first person, second person and third person ) and two numbers (singular and plural). The verb is in PN - congruence to the subject of the sentence. The German language tends to prefer the use of auxiliary verbs in relation to the flexion. While this is perfectly normal for a passive and future tense, many suspect the slow extinction of the subjunctive I and II, or even the preterite.

Verb forms

Infinite verb forms ( indefinite): Do not give person, time, number ( singular, plural ) to

• Infinitive (nominal form): running, dancing, eating ...
• Participle 1: running, dancing, eating ...
• Participle 2: running, dancing, eating ...

Finite verb forms (determined ): extension of the verb changes when it is placed in people. Personnel form indicates person, time, number.

• Walked: 2 person / Sing / Ind / Praet / act. .. .
• Come: 1st or 3rd person / plural / Conditional / act.

Tense forms

The German recognizes the following times or tenses:

Time- axis of the presence of

• Present tense ( for talk time currently: I write. )
• Perfect ( [ Latin: " Complete" ] now complete: I 've written. )
• Future tense (soon only currently I plan to write. )
• Futur II ( completed until the aforementioned date: tomorrow I will have written. )

Timeline of the past

• Preterite (then current: I wrote. ) For Jacob Grimm the past tense is the only real -time, which has the German. It is the classic narrative past tense ( preterite epic ). In northern Germany the use of the past tense in colloquial language is almost indispensable, but takes the Perfect to use. In contrast is with the exception of the auxiliary and modal verbs instead of the preterite also used there in southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the Perfect, where the preterite would be usual in Northern Germany. The Alemannic dialects spoken in these areas as dialect, the preterite not know. In Austria takes in stories in the vernacular turn of Präteritumgebrauch to. Perhaps the time use in the north as in the south affected by transnational television.
• Pluperfect (then already taken place: I had written to him. )
• Double perfect ( "I had written to him " ), double pluperfect ("I had written to him " ) and Third Future ( " I will have been written to him "); twice Perfect originated in the south of the German -speaking world to express anteriority when is told in the perfect tense. It is only used colloquially, and its use is considered in the written language so far as grammatically incorrect.

Applications of the tense forms

The main form is the present tense. It can replace as a historical present or past tense Perfect and is widely used for the future tense I. In these cases often is additionally a adverbials of time.

Proverbs are the gnomic present tense: " Pride comes before a fall. "

Formation of the tense forms

The forms of the past tenses Past Perfect and Perfect are formed using the auxiliary verbs have or be and the past participle ( past participle ). The preterite uses the root of the infinitive.

The Futurformen be with the verb be or ( Futur II) and have or be formed.

Past Perfect, Future Perfect and Future Perfect I are rarely used in spoken language. Some dialects do not know these tenses. Some dialects know for the Plusplusquamperfekt or "double Perfect" (eg He had seen him ). South German dialects do not have a past tense except for the modal and auxiliary verbs. In Swiss German, it is absolutely no past tense. In contrast, the Low German knows all six tenses, the Futurformen with are ( in Platt Sölen or Schölen [ ik sall / sound ] ) are formed.

Diathesis / Genus Verbi

German makes a distinction between active and passive. The genus Verbi of the medium, which was found in some Indo-European languages ​​corresponds formally to the active or is clarified by means of reflexive, and is found sporadically in German ( "The book reads well. ").

In particular, in the formal German passive is important. It will be from the auxiliary verbs and be and the past participle is formed and operates the perspective of the active sentence.

The undergoer is the starting point, the agent loses the subject role and can also be omitted.

Example: The woman watched the accident. - The accident was observed ( by the woman ).

German makes a distinction between the act be passive, which is semantically equivalent to the liabilities of most other European languages, usually with the auxiliary verb be is formed, and the state with the passive auxiliary verb. This distinction is missing in many related languages.

During the process passive expresses the course of the story, the passive state raises the result of the action out (see resultativ ).

Passive

The passive is the " culprit " is remote statement form of the verb, also called sorrow form. The German language is different (at least) two passive forms:

• Passive process (VP)
• Passive state (see resultativ ) ( ZP)
• The status of the recipient passive voice (RP ) is controversial

Passive process

• I am seen ( VP- present )
• I was seen ( VP- past tense )
• I have been seen ( VP- perfect)
• I had been seen ( VP- pluperfect )
• I'll be seen ( VP- Present )
• I'll be seen. ( VP- Futur II)

Passive state (see resultativ )

• The door is open (ZP - present )
• The door was opened ( ZP- past tense )
• The door has been opened ( ZP- perfect)
• The door had been opened ( ZP- pluperfect )
• The door will be open ( ZP- Present )
• The door was open ( ZP- Futur II)

Passive recipients

• He gets taken away from the book (RP- present )
• He got taken away from the book (RP- past tense )
• He got taken away from the book. (RP- perfect)
• He had been taken away from the book. (RP- pluperfect )
• He will get taken away from the book. (RP- Present )
• He will get taken away from the book. (RP- Futur II)

Colloquially also come with training before get.

See also: diathesis (linguistics)

Mode

In German there is the following modes:

• The indicative ( form of reality ): " Paul is coming. "
• The imperative ( command form): " Paul, come! "
• And the conjunctive ( subjunctive ): " Paul come. Paul came. Paul would come. "

Subjunctive

Generally called the subjunctive unreal: wishes, guesses, options and the like. There are two standard forms in their relation to each other, the Tempus differentiation today is no longer relevant:

• Subjunctive I
• Conditional

Instead of the subjunctive I and II, one often uses the so-called " subjunctive form of compensation " (or " dignity " form, " conditional " or subjunctive III and the like. Called ).

The subjunctive I The following are forms:

• Present subjunctive I (also: present subjunctive )
• Past subjunctive I (also: Perfect subjunctive )
• Future continuous I (two variants: Subjunctive Present and Future Perfect )

The future tense forms are used hardly. In their place is used as in the indicative present tense and, where appropriate lexical resources (tomorrow, in 3 years, etc.).

The subjunctive II The following are the forms ::

• Subjunctive present ( also: preterite subjunctive )
• Conditional past ( also: pluperfect subjunctive )
• Conditional future (two variants: Subjunctive Present and Future Perfect )

These future tense forms are used hardly. In their place we used also as in the indicative present tense and, where appropriate lexical resources (tomorrow, in 3 years, etc.).

Formation of the subjunctive

The subjunctive I is basically derived from the infinitive of the verb (in some statements one refers to the present stem; then, however, the modal verbs must apply as an exception ), followed by the suffix -e and the respective personal ending. In the 1st and 3rd person plural suffix and suffix to unite in 1st and 3rd person singular occurs no personal ending. Present tense stem e personal ending

The subjunctive II is basically derived from the past tense indicative mood of the verb. In weak verbs the subjunctive with the preterite indicative coincides formally. From strong verbs it is formed by the connection of the Präteritalstammes of the indicative with the suffix -e and the respective personal ending ( with the same exceptions as in mergers and Present Perfect ), with a umlaut is added. Präteritumwortstamm e personal ending

The composite tenses (formally the indicative perfect, past perfect, future tense and future tense II accordingly) " offset " one characterized in the subjunctive I or II that ( have / be / be ) in accordance with the basic rule (derivation from the infinitive the auxiliary verb or present stem or reshuffling of the Präteritumform ).

As with the indicative, the Germans tend to use them for the future, the respective present tense, so that the subjunctive I virtually " meaningless free" was and the so-called " conditional replacement form" ( Dignity form, conjunctive III, conditional ) can be " converted " could.

Use of the subjunctive

The subjunctive I is basically used for printing:

• Satisfiable desires in a sophisticated speech " Let man be noble, helpful and good! "

• " God Save the King! "
• In particular, the polite form of address in the third person plural "Be so good, you go ahead once already! "

• " Take four eggs ... "

The subjunctive I is mainly used:

• When playing indirect speech, especially in press releases to distance themselves from the truth of a statement " The Chancellor said there was no new tax increases. " ( = You did say that. Whether it's true we do not know. )

The subjunctive expresses principle:

• Unreal, due to potential or speculative situations and unreal wishes "If I had more money, I would long ago have a house. "

• " Peter said the children would come to 6 home."

Replacement defined shapes replace the subjunctive I and II increasingly in everyday language, but also more or less in the written language (sometimes this is an individual issue or a matter of style level):

• The subjunctive I is replaced by its counterparts in the indicative, possibly with the addition of lexical means ( supposedly, probably, possibly ... ) or by the "dignity " form "He has heard that I was always nice. " → "He heard I was supposedly always nice. " → "He has heard, I would be nice. "

• " He said they were writing das. " → " He said they would write that."

In addition, many of the old subjunctive forms are supplanted by the "dignity " form, especially by:

• Formal equality of subjunctive and indicative form ( subjunctive II of weak verbs ) " I said," ( indicative mood = subjunctive ) → " I would say "

• " I wärfe " ↔ " I drafts " → " I'd throw "

( The outdated Subjunctive II forms are due to outdated Präteritumformen these verbs. ) The strongest have synthetic subjunctive even in such strong verbs, where the subjunctive is seen by affection nor in all the person unambiguously (eg I would you FIGHTING ( e) st, he would, etc.).

The status of the " dignity " form is controversial in linguistics. While some as too " folksy " reject it and accept only very limited; look at it other than "Apart form" ( within the subjunctive II), and still others as an independent "modern form" that step by step the old forms will replace (up to fixed expressions ). The same occurred and / or is taking place, for example, in the sister languages ​​of German, Danish and English.