“To be, or not to be” – the verb “sein” in German

Nov 9

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)

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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.

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

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