sein Present Tense Conjugation in German
Present Tense Conjugation of "sein"
The chart below outlines the conjugated forms of the verb "sein" in the present tense in German.
sein + Adjectives
You can use “sein” with an adjective to describe people and things.
Ich bin hübsch. -
I am handsome.
Du bist klug. -
You are smart.
Er ist stark. -
He is strong.
Wir sind fleißig. -
We are hard working.
Ihr seid faul. -
You are lazy.
Sie sind rothaarig. -
They are red-haired.
sein + Nationalities
Simply add the nationality of the person or persons to the sentence to describe them that way. Just don’t use an article like “ein” or “eine”.
Ich bin Amerikaner. -
I am an American.
Du bist Deutscher.
You are a German.
Sie ist Schweizerin.
She is Swiss.
Wir sind Österreicher.
We are Austrians.
Ihr seid Franzosen.
You are French.
Sie sind Spanier.
They are Spaniards.
Ich bin amerikanisch.
I am American.
NEIN! Das sagt man nicht so. Sag lieber “Ich bin Amerikaner.” Du bist nicht amerikanisch. Dein Akzent ist amerikanisch. Dein Auto ist amerikanisch. Aber du bist Amerikaner. -
No! You don’t say it like that. Say instead “I am an American.” You are not American. Your accent is American. Your car is American. But you are an American.
sein + Occupations
You can do the same thing with occupations. Again, no articles like “ein” or “eine”.
Ich bin Lehrer.
I am a teacher.
Bist du Anwältin?
Are you a lawyer (female)?
Er ist Schauspieler.
He is an actor.
Wir sind Verkäufer.
We are salespeople.
Seid ihr Krankenpfleger?
Are you nurses?
Meine Brüder sind Mechaniker.
My brothers are mechanics.
When to use an article with "sein"
If you are identifying an object, you do need an article. If you want to say “the”, use “der”, “die”, or “das” based on the gender of the noun. If you want to say “a” or “an” and the noun is masculine or neuter, use “ein”. If it is feminine, use “eine”. If it is plural, you often don’t need an article, but if you need/want to say “the”, say “die”.
Ich bin ein Mann. -
I am a man.
Du bist eine Frau. -
You are a woman.
Das ist ein Pferd. -
That is a horse.
Der Mann ist der Verbrecher. -
The man is the criminal.
Die Frau ist die Mutter. -
The woman is the mother.
Wir sind das Volk. -
We are the people.
Ihr seid Kinder. -
You are all children.
Das sind die Stühle. -
These are the chairs.
Unlike when you use a masculine noun with "haben", you don't need to change "der" to "den" or "ein" to "einen". This is because "sein" essentially functions as an equals sign. If you flipped the sentences around, it would say pretty much the same thing. Therefore we use the nominative case with both halves of the sentence for each of the above examples.
Now that you know all about "sein", you should learn about other irregular verbs in German. Click here for a lesson about stem-changing verbs in the present tense.
Make sure you know all there is to know about the present tense with these articles
Regular Verb Conjugation in Präsens
Stem-Changing Verbs in Präsens
German Lessons in Your Inbox
New lessons, motivation, and tips delivered to your inbox.Â
Unless it is fried, we don't want no spam around here. If you fill out this form, you will simply get the best German lessons, motivation and tips. That's all.
Author
