Sein means to be in many basic German sentences. Its present-tense forms are irregular, so practise them as a small, high-frequency set.
The idea
Use bin with ich, bist with du, ist with er/sie/es, sind with wir and sie/Sie, and seid with ihr. A statement places the conjugated verb in the normal verb position; a question may start with it: Sind Sie neu hier? German also uses sein with adjectives, locations and occupations. Occupations often have no indefinite article after sein.
| Person | Präsens |
|---|---|
| ich | bin |
| du | bist |
| er / sie / es | ist |
| wir | sind |
| ihr | seid |
| sie / Sie | sind |
Examples
- Ich bin müde.
- Du bist zu Hause.
- Er ist Lehrer.
- Wir sind in Berlin.
- Ihr seid freundlich.
- Sie sind heute hier.
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Watch out
Do not confuse ihr seid with sie sind. Formal Sie takes sind even when you address one person.
Try it yourself
Ich ___ neu hier.
Show answer or example answer
bin
The form for ich is bin.
Ihr ___ sehr nett.
Show answer or example answer
seid
The informal plural subject ihr takes seid.
Wo ___ Sie, Frau Weber?
Show answer or example answer
sind
Formal Sie takes sind, even when speaking to one person.
Practice round
Answer three questions, then rebuild three German sentences. We keep your score.
Ich ___ neu hier.
Ihr ___ sehr nett.
Wo ___ Sie, Frau Weber?
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
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Introduce yourself, say where you are and describe how you feel. Repeat the sentences with wir to practise changing the verb.