This introduction covers Sein, haben, werden — The Three Pillars within Present tense: sein, haben, werden and the modal verbs for GCSE German. Revise Present tense: sein, haben, werden and the modal verbs in The Core German Verbs and the Present Tense for GCSE German with 10 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 1 of 4 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
⚙️ Sein, haben, werden — The Three Pillars
Sein (to be), haben (to have), and werden (to become/will) are the three most important verbs in German — they are both full verbs AND the key auxiliaries used to build other tenses. Add the six modal verbs and you unlock almost every tense and structure tested in AQA German (8662).
Practice questions for Present tense: sein, haben, werden and the modal verbs
What is the correct ich-form of the verb 'sein' (to be)?
Complete the sentence: 'Wir ___ Freunde.' (We are friends.)
Quick recall flashcards
lassen
to let / to leave — irregular (umlaut in du/er/sie/es): ich lasse / du lässt / er lässt / wir lassen. Example: Lass mich in Ruhe! (Leave me alone!) Also: Er lässt das Fenster offen. (He leaves the window open.) Note: das Fenster, die Fenster.
wollen — to want (to)
ich will / du willst / er,sie,es will / wir wollen / ihr wollt / sie,Sie wollen. Expresses desire: Ich will ins Kino gehen. (I want to go to the cinema.) Note: ich and er forms are will (no umlaut, no ending).