“To be, or not to be” – the verb “sein” in German
If you study German, one of the most important and probably the first verb you need is “to be.” In this article, you will learn how to conjugate the essential verb “sein” and properly integrate it while speaking.
The verb “sein” in German
In German, the verb “sein” has almost all the roles which English or other Latin-based languages. With this in mind, it should be evident that you will need to use this verb very often.
In the following, you will find a brief explanation of when and how to use the verb “sein” in German.
Recommended study materials on the topic:
A-Grammar: Practice German grammar German (incl. answers)
German self-study book for A1-B1 (incl. answers)
Basic grammar knowledge of German (incl. answers)
________________________
The possibilities “sein” offers
The verb, “sein” gives you the following possibilities to express:
1. “Sein” as main verb
The main verb expresses that it is the only verb in the sentence. Therefore, it can be followed by a noun or adjective in German. A noun is a subject or an object – a thing – and an adjective describes a noun.
Sein + noun = Ich bin Student. – I am a student.
Sein + adjective = Er ist groß. – He is tall.
2. “Sein” as auxiliary verb
In the same way, we do in English; we can also use “sein” as an auxiliary verb in German. The literal translation for this kind of verb in German is “helping verb” (das Hilfsverb), which describes precisely what it does – it helps to express something else. The following example helps to express the past tense.
Ich bin nach Hause gegangen. (expressing past tense) – I have gone home.
Support my free blog content with a kind donation. Thank you!
How to conjugate “sein”
This article will focus on “sein” as the main verb. As you might remember from English, the verb “to be” is also irregular. We say I am and you are instead of “I be and you be”.
The same applies to German! Therefore, you need to conjugate the verb “sein” as follows and not regarding the general rules of German verb conjugating:
1. “Sein” in the present tense (Präsens)
ich bin → I am
du bist → you are
er ist → he is
sie ist → she is
es ist → it is
wir sind → we are
ihr seid → you are
sie sind → they are
2. “Sein” in simple past (Präteritum)
ich war → I was
du warst → you were
er war → he was
sie war → she was
es war → it was
wir waren → we were
ihr wart → you were
sie waren → they were
3. “Sein” in present perfect (Perfekt)
ich bin gewesen → I have been
du bist gewesen → you have been
er ist gewesen → he has been
sie ist gewesen → she has been
es ist gewesen → it has been
wir sind gewesen → we have been
ihr seid gewesen → you have been
sie sind gewesen → they have been
Now, as you know how to use the verb “to be” you can introduce and talk about yourself using it.
Examples for using “sein” in German
Ich bin Jana. → I am Jana.
Ich bin Studentin. → I am a student.
Ich bin 24 Jahre alt. → I am 24 years old.
Ich bin aus Belgien. → I’m from Belgium.
Ich bin Vegetarierin. → I’m a vegetarian.
Ich bin verheiratet. → I’m married.
Ich bin klein. → I am small.
Ich bin müde. → I am tired.
Ich bin neu hier. → I’m new here.
Now you should be able to use the verb “sein” in your everyday life. Since this is an essential verb which you will need to use all the time, make yourself a favor and study it properly so you will not stumble over other problems later on in your German studies. If you want to know more, check out the article about “haben” (to have).
Bis bald!
Steffie
Hi there! Though I provide all blog content for free, your support will be very much appreciated. 🙂
Please support my work!
Search blog