5.

1 Understanding Action Part 3

Fast Forward!
You have learned that you can conjugate a regular verb by adding the appropriate ending to the stem of the verb.(and by now, you even know what all these terms mean!) There are also some irregular verbs where the stem changes as well. But first lets go back and review what a stem is. The stem of a verb is the part of the verb that is left once you take the en or n ending away from the infinitive. In regular verbs the stem does not change, no matter what ending you add on to it. Stem changes (in irregular verbs) will become familiar to you over time, as some common German verbs are stem changing. In most cases only the you, he, she & it forms change, but you know it wouldnt be German if there werent exceptions! Lets have a look at an example. The German word fahren means to drive.

To Drive or Not to Drive

Singular
ich fahre du fhrst er fhrt sie fhrt es fhrt I drive you drive (casual) he drives she drives it drives

As you can see in the table above, the verb stem has Umlaut in the you, he, she & it form, whereas the infinitive fahren hasnt. This is called a stem change. Lets have a look at the plural:

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Plural
wir fahren ihr fahrt sie fahren Sie fahren we drive you drive (casual) they drive you drive (formal))

The plural of the verb fahren is actually regular, because the stem doesnt change. Nevertheless the verb is still considered to be irregular. In German you use the word fahren in a lot more situations than in English. For example: Fhrst du Ski? Wann fhrst du? Do you (drive) ski? When do you (drive) leave?

Action Replay:
In German there are some irregular verbs where the stem changes, as well as having to add on the different endings. The stem of a verb is the part of the verb that is left once you take away the en or n ending from the infinitive. In regular verbs the stem does not change no matter what ending you add on to it.

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For Example:
Fhrt sie dich in die Schule? Does she drive you to school?

Knnen Sie langsamer fahren? Could you drive more slowly? (formal)

Kannst du langsamer fahren? Could you drive more slowly? (casual)

Wir fahren durch die Stadt. We drive through the city

Du fhrst zu schnell. You drive too fast.

Ich fahre sehr langsam. I drive very slowly.

Wir fahren nach Kassel. We drive to Kassel.

Ihr fahrt in die Garage. You drive into the garage.

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Er fhrt mich nach Hause. He drives me home.

Sie fhrt nicht gerne. She doesnt enjoy driving.

Er fhrt Ski. He skis.

Sie fhrt am liebsten alleine. She prefers driving by herself.

Some More Examples:

Wir fahren Fahrrad. We go by bike.

Sie fhrt Motorrad. She drives a motorbike.

Er fhrt nicht betrunken. He doesnt drive drunk.

Wir fahren mit dem Taxi. We go by taxi.

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Ihr knnt nicht fahren. You cant drive.

Sie fahren auf der Autobahn. They drive on the freeway.

Wir fahren rckwrts. We drive backwards.

Ich fahre mit dem Bus. I go by bus.

Fhrst du mich ins Kino? Could you drive me to the cinema?

Sie fahren durch Deutschland. They are driving through Germany.

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Test your German Skills:

Fill in the gaps with the correct form of fahren.
1. _________ du Auto?

Do you drive a car? 2. Sie _________ ein kleines Auto.

She drives a small car. 3. Ich _________ einen groen LKW.

I drive a big truck. 4. Du _________ nicht schnell.

You dont drive fast. 5. Sie _________ zu schnell.

She drives too fast. 6. Wir _________ nach Frankfurt.

We drive to Frankfurt. 7. Ihr _________ mit uns.

You drive with us. 8. _________ du mich nach Hause?

Are you driving me home? 9. Wir _________ im Kreis.

We are driving around in circles. 10. Er _________ kein Auto.

He doesnt drive a car. 11. Sie _________ nach Heidelberg.

She drives to Heidelberg.

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12.

Ihr _________ ein schnelles Auto.

You drive a fast car. 13. Ich _________ ein altes Auto.

I drive an old car. 14. _________ er dich zur Schule?

Does he drive you to school? 15. _________ du bitte langsamer.

Can you drive slower, please? 16. Ich _________ zur Arbeit.

I drive to work. 17. Er ________ einen Volkswagen.

He drives a VW. 18. Ich _________ mit dir.

Ill drive with you. 19. _________ wir bald los?

Are we leaving soon? 20. Er _________ bald los.

He will leave soon.

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The Answers!
Fill in the gaps with the correct form of fahren.
1. Fhrst du Auto?

Do you drive a car? 2. Sie fhrt ein kleines Auto.

She drives a small car. 3. Ich fahre einen groen LKW.

I drive a big truck. 4. Du fhrst nicht schnell.

You dont drive fast. 5. Sie fhrt zu schnell.

She drives too fast. 6. Wir fahren nach Frankfurt.

We drive to Frankfurt. 7. Ihr fahrt mit uns.

You drive with us. 8. Fhrst du mich nach Hause?

Are you driving me home? 9. Wir fahren im Kreis.

We are driving around in circles. 10. Er fhrt kein Auto.

He doesnt drive a car. 11. Sie fhrt nach Heidelberg.

She drives to Heidelberg.

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12.

Ihr fahrt ein schnelles Auto.

You drive a fast car. 13. Ich fahre ein altes Auto.

I drive an old car. 14. Fhrt er dich zur Schule?

Does he drive you to school? 15. Fhrst du bitte langsamer.

Can you drive slower, please? 16. Ich fahre zur Arbeit.

I drive to work. 17. Er fhrt einen Volkswagen.

He drives a VW. 18. Ich fahre mit dir.

Ill drive with you. 19. Fahren wir bald los?

Are we leaving soon? 20. Er fhrt bald los.

He will leave soon.

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