Strong verbs — present

What is a strong verb?

Some common verbs change their vowel in the present tense — but only with du and er / sie / es: ich fahre, du fährst, er fährt. These are called strong (irregular) verbs.

Why it matters

• Many everyday verbs are strong: fahren, essen, sehen, lesen, nehmen.
• You use the du and er forms all the time.
• The changes follow a few clear patterns.

Pattern

du / er form = changed vowel + normal ending

What changes

the vowel (a → ä, e → i, e → ie); the endings stay regular

Examples

• ich esse → du **isst** → er **isst** — e → i
• ich sehe → du **siehst** — e → ie

Remember: Dictionaries show the change: fahren (fährt) — the er-form tells you.

Watch out: Not every e-verb changes: gehen → er geht, stehen → er steht. Learn the change with the verb.

Builds on: Present tense — regular verbs.