The 10 verbs every German sentence leans on

Half of all German sentences start with one of today's ten verbs.

You want to say so much in German, but you get stuck on the very first word. ‘I'm a student.’ ‘Have you got time?’ ‘Can I take a photo here?’ All of these need the most basic verbs.

Today's ten verbs are the backbone of German: sein, haben, werden and the modal verbs. Once you can use these freely, the number of things you can say multiplies. 💪

🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks

sein

[zine]to be

(ist – ist gewesen (irregular))

📌 Ich bin Studentin aus Korea.

→ I'm a student from Korea.

💡 Like English be, it changes shape wildly 🌀 ich bin, du bist, er ist… learn it as a chant.

⚠ Its perfect uses sein too: Ich bin in Berlin gewesen. And ihr seid only sounds like seit (since).

haben

[HAH-ben]to have

(hat – hat gehabt (irregular))

📌 Wir haben zwei Kinder.

→ We have two children.

💡 Same root as English have 🎒 The b disappears in du hast, er hat.

Bonus Hunger haben = to be hungry; Zeit haben = to have time

werden

[VAIR-den]to become, get; will (future)

(wird – ist geworden)

📌 Ich möchte Ärztin werden.

→ I'd like to become a doctor.

💡 The shape-shifter verb: to become 🦋 Ich werde Ärztin. = I'm going to be a doctor.

⚠ It changes to du wirst, er wird, and the perfect is ist geworden.

machen

[MAKH-en]to do; to make

(macht – hat gemacht)

📌 Was machst du am Wochenende?

→ What are you doing at the weekend?

💡 Same root as English make 🛠️ Doing and making are both machen.

Bonus When saying goodbye: Mach's gut! = Take care!

können

[KER-nen]can, to be able to

(kann – hat gekonnt)

📌 Kannst du schwimmen?

→ Can you swim?

💡 Same root as English can 🏊 If you're able, it's können.

Bonus Languages too: Ich kann Deutsch.

müssen

[MUE-sen]must, to have to

(muss – hat gemusst)

📌 Ich muss heute arbeiten.

→ I have to work today.

💡 Same root as English must ⏰ Things you have to do are müssen.

⚠ nicht müssen = don't have to. It does not mean ‘must not’!

wollen

[VOL-en]to want (to)

(will – hat gewollt)

📌 Ich will Deutsch lernen.

→ I want to learn German.

💡 Related to English will as in willpower 🔥 ich will = I really want to!

⚠ Not the English future will. Also: ich will, er will — no -t.

möchten

[MERKH-ten]would like (to)

(möchte – (subjunctive of mögen))

📌 Ich möchte einen Kaffee.

→ I'd like a coffee.

💡 The polite form of mögen (to like) 🙏 For ordering, always Ich möchte…

Bonus Ich möchte einen Kaffee. sounds much politer than Ich will einen Kaffee.

dürfen

[DUER-fen]may, to be allowed to

(darf – hat gedurft)

📌 Darf ich hier rauchen?

→ May I smoke here?

💡 If you're allowed, it's dürfen 🚦 Darf ich…? = May I…?

⚠ nicht dürfen = must not (it's forbidden)

sollen

[ZOL-en]should, to be supposed to

(soll – hat gesollt)

📌 Der Arzt sagt, ich soll mehr schlafen.

→ The doctor says I should sleep more.

💡 Same root as English shall 📋 Something someone told you to do is sollen.

Bonus Was soll das? = What's that supposed to mean?

🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture

In German cafés and bakeries, ‘Ich möchte…’ or ‘Ich hätte gern…’ sounds far more natural than ‘Ich will…’. It isn't wrong, but ‘Ich will’ can sound like a child making demands.

German signs love dürfen and müssen. ‘Hier dürfen Sie nicht parken.’ means it's not allowed. But ‘Sie müssen nicht…’ is a friendly ‘you don't need to’, so don't mix them up.

And when Germans say goodbye, you'll often hear ‘Mach's gut!’. Literally ‘do it well’, it really means ‘take care’. 👋

✅ Quick quiz

Q. You're about to take a photo in a museum and a guard stops you. What did they say?

① Sie dürfen hier nicht fotografieren.
② Sie müssen hier nicht fotografieren.
③ Sie möchten hier fotografieren.

Show the answer

① Sie dürfen hier nicht fotografieren.
nicht dürfen means it's not allowed; nicht müssen only means you don't have to.

Make one sentence with each modal verb today and say them out loud: Ich kann…, Ich muss…, Ich möchte…! 💪

🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 🏃 Movement verbs