Languages › German How Good Are You at the German Present Tense? You'll Want to 'Stay in the Moment' When You Take This Quiz Getty Images/Westend61. German Grammar History & Culture Pronunciation & Conversation Vocabulary By Hyde Flippo Hyde Flippo German Expert Hyde Flippo taught the German language for 28 years at high school and college levels and published several books on the German language and culture. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on March 06, 2017 1. Ich ___ gern Tennis. spielen spielt spiele Correct Wrong Translation: I enjoy playing tennis. Tip: Always an -e ending for "ich" - with regular verbs 2. Karl __ mir den Ball. gebt gibt geben Correct Wrong Translation: Karl is giving me the ball. Tip: (stem-changing verb) gebt = ihr; geben = sie (they), Sie (you, formal), wir 3. Ihr ___ fast jeden Tag. arbeitet arbeite arbeiten Correct Wrong Translation: You (guys) work almost every day. Tip: Ihr is the informal plural form of you. arbeite = ich; arbeiten = plural (sie, Sie, wir) 4. ___ Karla Deutsch? Sprichst Sprecht Spricht Correct Wrong Translation: Does Karla speak German? Tip: (stem-changing verb) Sprichst = du; Sprecht = ihr 5. Wann ___ Karl und Julia? Heute? kommen kommt komme Correct Wrong Translation: When are Karl and Julia (they) coming? Today?Tip: kommt = er/sie (3rd person singular); komme = ich; kommen = Sie, wir, sie. 6. Wo ___ du jetzt? wohnt wohne wohnst Correct Wrong Translation: Where do you live/reside now? Tip: verbs with the subject du (you singular, familiar) always have an -st ending). 7. Wann ___ wir? Um zwei Uhr? gehen geht gehe Correct Wrong Translation: When are we going -- at two o'clock? (lit., "when go we?") Tip: The conjugation of gehen is: ich gehe du gehst er geht, sie geht, es geh wir gehen ihr geht Sie gehen sie gehen 8. Wie ___ Sie? heißt heiße heißen Correct Wrong Translation: What is your name? Tip: This question uses the formal form of you "Sie". Sie is capitalized and always has an -en ending). 9. Ich ___ keine Briefe mehr. Nur E-Mails. schreiben schreibt schreibe Correct Wrong Translation: I don't write letters any more, just e-mail (messages). Tip: schreiben = Sie, sie, wir; schreibt er/sie 10. ___ ihr das Alphabet? lernt Lernst Lernen Correct Wrong Translation: Are you (guys) learning/studying the alphabet? (You plural, informal). Tip: Use the form 'lernen' with Sie/sie and wir. Lernst is the form for du. How Good Are You at the German Present Tense? You got: % Correct. Anfänger Getty Images / Tetra Images Looks as though you're an "Anfanger" (beginner). Check out the links below for some study resources (or just use an online translation tool -- we won't tell). Share Your Results How Good Are You at the German Present Tense? You got: % Correct. Back to School Bus with Kids. Getty Images / Marina Zlochin You've got some German language skills under your belt, but you may want to spend some time brushing up on the present tense before you jump into other verb tenses. The links below can help. Share Your Results How Good Are You at the German Present Tense? You got: % Correct. Schüler Getty Images / CSA Images/ Color Printstock Collection You're clearly a Schüler (student) of German. Nice job! Check out the links below for resources that can help you take your skills to the next level. Share Your Results How Good Are You at the German Present Tense? You got: % Correct. Smart Cookie Smart Written in Cookie Dough. Getty Images / Image Source Heiliger Strohsack! You got a perfect score, you smart cookie. Time to move onto something trickier -- how about the subjunctive? Share Your Results