The division into strong and weak verbs depends on how much verbs change when adapting to a tense. The designation «strong» verb So it comes from the fact that the stem vowel changes in verbs when they are put in a different form.
Strong verbs are verbs in which the stem vowel changes when you put them in the past tense or use them to form the past participle.
This change of stem vowel is also called ablaut.
The infinitive is the basic form of a verb. In it number, person, mode and time are not expressed. This form of the verb will also nominal shape called.
The infinitive of «he goes» is «to go».
The infinitive of «sleeping» is «to sleep».
Rules for conjugating strong verbs
Strong verbs are not irregular verbs. They form their own category alongside weak verbs. The difference is not so easy to see at first glance.
But there is an important difference: unlike irregular verbs, strong verbs follow certain rules.
The rules for strong verbs are as follows:
- In the second and third person singular present tense finds a vowel change instead of:
I bake, you bake, he bakes, we bake, you bake, they bake
- the endings in the Present ring: -e/-st/-t/-en/-t/-en:
I give, you give, she gives, we give, you give, they give
- The ending of Participle II laut -en.
ordered, safe, slept
- The endings in the past tense are: -st/-en/-t/-en.
I fell, you fell, it fell, we fell, you fell, they fell
For example, if you are examining verbs for their origin, you should usually use the infinitive. You should also use this form with strong verbs (run, swim, jump…).
Difference to weak verbs
Weak verbs, on the other hand, change only slightly if you put them in a different form: they become in the past tense without changing the stem vowel formed with -(e)t and add das to form the participle II prefix ge added.
- laugh, laughed, laughed
- cook, cooked, cooked
- play, played, played
- make, made, made