Vocabulary

Level: A1
Accent: 1 accent
Time: 15 min

German Vowel-Change Verbs: Present-Tense e to i and e to ie Shifts

By MicroGerman editorial team Published 18 Oct 2026

The short answer

A stem vowel change does not change what the verb means. Essen still means to eat and sehen still means to see. For these verbs, the stem vowel shifts in the du and er, sie, es forms while the personal ending continues to mark the subject.

Start the lesson

This lesson has 5 stages. You can stop at any time and continue later.

Stage 1 of 5

Understand

What it means, when to use it, and mistakes to avoid.

Examples

Du gibst deiner Freundin ein Buch.

You give your friend a book.

Why it works: Geben changes e to i for du.

2 more examples

Er liest die Speisekarte im Restaurant.

He reads the menu in the restaurant.

Lesen changes e to ie for er.
Sieht deine Mutter den Garten?

Does your mother see the garden?

Sehen changes e to ie for third person singular.

Read the full guide

8 short steps, one check each

The basic rule: where the vowel changes

Beginners often wonder whether a vowel change affects the entire verb conjugation table or only specific persons.

The problem: Beginners often wonder whether a vowel change affects the entire verb conjugation table or only specific persons.

For the e to i and e to ie verbs in this lesson, the vowel shift happens only in the second person singular (du) and third person singular (er, sie, es). The other forms keep the original vowel from the infinitive.

Ich spreche Deutsch, aber du sprichst Spanisch.

I speak German, but you speak Spanish.

Why it works: Notice that ich spreche keeps the letter e, while du sprichst changes e to i.
Er spricht sehr leise.

He speaks very quietly.

Why it works: The third person singular er also takes the changed vowel i.

Your turn

Choose the correct sentence where only the du form changes its vowel.

Show the answer

Answer: Ich spreche laut und du sprichst leise.

The verb sprechen changes e to i only for du and er, sie, es. The ich form remains spreche.

Speaking clearly: conjugating sprechen

Learners often forget to apply the i change when asking questions with du or talking about a colleague.

The problem: Learners often forget to apply the i change when asking questions with du or talking about a colleague.

The verb sprechen (to speak) takes a short i in both the du form (sprichst) and the er, sie, es form (spricht). The regular personal endings -st and -t still attach as usual.

Sprichst du Englisch im Büro?

Do you speak English in the office?

Why it works: In this yes-no question, the conjugated verb comes first, but the vowel change remains identical.
Maria spricht drei Sprachen fließend.

Maria speaks three languages fluently.

Why it works: Maria is grammatically equivalent to sie (she), so the verb uses the shifted vowel i.

Your turn

Which sentence correctly talks about what your friend speaks?

Show the answer

Answer: Mein Freund spricht Französisch.

Mein Freund is third person singular (er), which takes the stem vowel i with the ending -t.

Offering and giving: the verb geben

Learners sometimes use the unshifted form gebt with du, or use gibst incorrectly with a third-person singular subject.

The problem: Learners sometimes use the unshifted form gebt with du, or use gibst incorrectly with a third-person singular subject.

The verb geben (to give) changes e to i, giving du gibst and er, sie, es gibt. This shift also powers the common phrase es gibt (there is / there are).

Du gibst mir deinen Schlüssel.

You give me your key.

Why it works: The du form changes the root e to i and adds the ending -st.
Der Lehrer gibt uns heute keine Hausaufgaben.

The teacher gives us no homework today.

Why it works: Der Lehrer is singular (er), using gibt with the vowel change to i.

Your turn

Choose the correct sentence expressing what Thomas gives you.

Show the answer

Answer: Thomas gibt mir einen Stift.

Thomas represents er (he), so geben changes its stem vowel from e to i, resulting in gibt.

Meals and food: conjugating essen

Learners often struggle with the spelling of du isst and er isst because the stem ends in double s.

The problem: Learners often struggle with the spelling of du isst and er isst because the stem ends in double s.

The verb essen (to eat) changes e to i. For this verb, du isst and er, sie, es isst are identical; the usual du ending -st is not added as an extra s after the stem-final s.

Du isst morgens immer ein Brötchen.

You always eat a bread roll in the morning.

Why it works: Du isst uses the vowel i and the ending -t because the stem already has double s.
Das Kind isst gerne frisches Obst.

The child likes eating fresh fruit.

Why it works: Das Kind is grammatically neuter singular (es), which also takes isst.

Your turn

Select the correct question asking what someone eats for lunch.

Show the answer

Answer: Was isst du zu Mittag?

The subject is du, which triggers the stem vowel change from e to i, forming isst.

Choosing between i and ie: the short i in helfen

Learners often wonder whether an e-changing verb takes a single i or the combination ie.

The problem: Learners often wonder whether an e-changing verb takes a single i or the combination ie.

Unlike verbs that shift to the two-letter spelling ie, verbs like helfen take a single i. For du and er, sie, es, use hilfst and hilft with a short i sound.

Du hilfst deinem Bruder bei der Arbeit.

You help your brother with the work.

Why it works: The du form adds -st to the modified stem hilf-.
Sie hilft ihrer Nachbarin im Garten.

She helps her neighbor in the garden.

Why it works: The subject sie (she) requires hilft with the short vowel i.

Your turn

Which sentence correctly says that your sister helps at home?

Show the answer

Answer: Meine Schwester hilft zu Hause.

Meine Schwester is third person singular (sie), which triggers the e to i shift, producing hilft.

Looking and watching: the e to ie change in sehen

Learners sometimes use a single i for sehen instead of the long ie spelling.

The problem: Learners sometimes use a single i for sehen instead of the long ie spelling.

Some verbs change e to ie instead of a single i. The verb sehen (to see) takes a long ie sound, forming du siehst and er, sie, es sieht.

Du siehst heute sehr müde aus.

You look very tired today.

Why it works: The du form changes e to ie, spelling siehst.
Er sieht den Bus an der Haltestelle.

He sees the bus at the bus stop.

Why it works: The subject er takes sieht with the letters ie.

Your turn

Choose the sentence where someone sees an old friend.

Show the answer

Answer: Stefan sieht einen alten Freund.

The verb sehen changes its stem vowel from e to ie for third person singular subjects like Stefan.

Reading books and news: conjugating lesen

Learners often wonder why du liest and er liest look identical and whether a double s is needed.

The problem: Learners often wonder why du liest and er liest look identical and whether a double s is needed.

The verb lesen (to read) also changes its stem vowel from e to ie. Because the stem already ends in s (les-), the du ending is simply -t, making du liest and er, sie, es liest identical.

Liest du abends gerne Romane?

Do you like reading novels in the evening?

Why it works: Du liest uses the ie shift and takes a simple -t ending.
Meine Kollegin liest die E-Mail sofort.

My colleague reads the email immediately.

Why it works: Meine Kollegin (sie) uses liest with the ie change.

Your turn

Select the correct sentence describing what Anna reads.

Show the answer

Answer: Anna liest jeden Tag die Zeitung.

Anna (sie) takes the vowel change e to ie. The stem ends in single s, so adding -t gives liest.

Why plural forms stay regular

Learners sometimes mistakenly carry over the vowel change into the plural forms wir, ihr, or sie.

The problem: Learners sometimes mistakenly carry over the vowel change into the plural forms wir, ihr, or sie.

For the e to i and e to ie verbs in this lesson, do not change the stem vowel in plural forms. Wir (we), ihr (you plural), and sie/Sie (they/formal you) use the original stem vowel e from the infinitive.

Wir sehen den Park, aber ihr seht den Fluss.

We see the park, but you all see the river.

Why it works: Both wir and ihr retain the original e vowel without any shift.
Die Kinder essen Suppe und wir essen Brot.

The children eat soup and we eat bread.

Why it works: Die Kinder (they) and wir (we) keep the standard verb stem ess- without a vowel change.

Your turn

Choose the sentence that correctly keeps the original vowel for a plural subject.

Show the answer

Answer: Ihr sprecht sehr deutliches Deutsch.

The pronoun ihr is plural and never takes a stem vowel change. It keeps the regular e vowel.

Before you go

Remember this

Remember the pattern for the e-changing verbs taught in this lesson, such as sprechen, geben, essen, helfen, sehen, and lesen: shift e to i or ie only for du and er, sie, es, and keep the standard infinitive stem for ich, wir, ihr, and sie/Sie.