Say Ich bin 25 Jahre alt, not Ich habe 25 Jahre alt. Compare six incorrect sentences with their corrections below, then practise the patterns with three exercises.
The idea
German expresses age with sein and hunger with haben. In a main clause, the finite verb normally occupies the second constituent position, not necessarily the second word. Masculine accusative articles change to den/einen. After weil, the finite verb goes to the end of the subordinate clause. Compare each correction with a complete, meaningful sentence.
| Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
| Ich habe 25 Jahre alt. | Ich bin 25 Jahre alt. |
| Ich bin Hunger. | Ich habe Hunger. |
| Heute ich lerne Deutsch. | Heute lerne ich Deutsch. |
| Ich sehe der Mann. | Ich sehe den Mann. |
| Ich bleibe hier, weil ich habe Zeit. | Ich bleibe hier, weil ich Zeit habe. |
| Ich möchte ein Kaffee. | Ich möchte einen Kaffee. |
If moving heute changes your sentence, practise verb position: German Word Order Explained with Simple Examples
For phrases such as Hunger haben, learn the words together: Common German collocations
Check a new sentence in three steps
First find the conjugated verb. Then check whether the sentence is a main clause or a weil clause. Finally check the object article. Compare: Heute kaufe ich einen Apfel. / Ich kaufe einen Apfel, weil ich Hunger habe. Heute fills the first position as one unit; the weil clause has its own final verb. Translate the whole meaning into your language, then rebuild the German pattern.
Examples
- Ich bin 25 Jahre alt.I am 25 years old.
- Ich habe Hunger.I am hungry.
- Heute lerne ich Deutsch.Today I am learning German.
- Ich sehe den Mann.I see the man.
- Ich bleibe hier, weil ich Zeit habe.I am staying here because I have time.
- Ich möchte einen Kaffee.I would like a coffee.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic German voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No German device voice is available. You can still read the text and use the linked listening resources.
Watch out
Do not memorize only the corrected word. A different subject or sentence structure can require a different form; retain the whole pattern.
Try it yourself
Heute ___ ich Deutsch. (lernen)
Show answer or example answer
lerne
Heute occupies the first position, so the finite verb lerne follows before ich.
Ich ___ Hunger. (haben)
Show answer or example answer
habe
German says Ich habe Hunger, using haben.
Ich bleibe hier, weil ich Zeit ___. (haben)
Show answer or example answer
habe
In the weil clause, habe is the finite verb and appears at the end.
Practice round
Answer three questions, then rebuild three German sentences. We keep your score.
Heute ___ ich Deutsch. (lernen)
Ich ___ Hunger. (haben)
Ich bleibe hier, weil ich Zeit ___. (haben)
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
Sign up for free to save your practice results in your account and carry on with the story in the game.
Sign up to saveI already have an accountUse it today
Take three sentences from your own writing. Identify one pattern in each, correct it and make a new sentence that uses the same pattern successfully.