Verb Exercises

On this page you will find specific exercises on German verbs, organised by verb type, verbal mood, voice and verbal government, for all CEFR levels (A1-C2).

You can follow these exercises with a logical learning progression: from basic morphology and essential verbs, through the intent of modal verbs, up to the complex architecture of moods, non-finite forms and the passive voice. Everything you need to conjugate precisely and speak fluently.

Essential exercises

The verbs haben, sein and werden are the auxiliary verbs (Hilfsverben) of German: they form compound tenses and the passive voice, and appear in many sentences. Mastering these verbs is therefore the starting point for German verb conjugation.

Conjugation by verb type

German classifies its verbs into four main morphological groups: regular (fixed pattern from the infinitive), irregular (vowel or stem change), separable (prefix that moves to the end) and reflexive (with the pronoun sich). Mastering their conjugation patterns is the first step towards accurate expression.

Verbal government: prepositions and cases

In German, the verb determines which preposition and which case its complements appear in. Many verbs require a fixed preposition that is part of their construction, and they all govern a specific case on their object.

These combinations rarely match those of English and cannot be deduced from the meaning, so it is best to learn them together with the verb itself. The two exercises separate both phenomena so you can fix them clearly.

Modal verbs (Modalverben)

Modal verbs are fundamental from the very first levels. They express possibility, permission, obligation or desire, and mastering them is essential for fluent communication.

Verbal Moods and Tenses

German organises verb conjugation into moods and tenses. This section covers the three main moods: the indicative (six tenses for everyday expression), Konjunktiv I (reported speech) and Konjunktiv II (hypotheses and unreal conditions).

Other verbal moods and non-finite forms

The imperative, infinitive and participles have specific and frequent uses. These exercises will help you recognise and use them fluently.

Passive Voice (Passiv)

The passive voice is especially frequent in formal and technical German. Practise its different tenses to read and write more advanced texts.