Verb "sein" (to be)
Das Verb "sein"
Sein means to be and is the most important German verb: ich bin, du bist, er/sie/es ist, wir sind, ihr seid, sie/Sie sind. It is completely irregular, so all six forms have to be memorised, and it is used for names, age, jobs, nationality, location, feelings and descriptions.
Conjugate and use the most important German verb.
Rules & Explanations
Verb sein Introduction
Einführung: Das Verb sein
sein = to be. This is the most important verb in German. You use it to say who you are, where you are, and how you feel. I am, you are, he is — in German: ich bin, du bist, er ist.
Like English, sein is completely irregular. You must memorize each form. But the good news: you already know some from English! ist = is, bin = am (sort of).
English to be is also irregular: I am, you are, he is — every form is different! German sein works the same way. Every pronoun has its own form.
Ich bin müde. Du bist nett. Er ist groß.
I am tired. You are nice. He is tall.
Every pronoun has a different form. Just like English: am, are, is.
sein is the first verb you need. Without it, you cannot make basic sentences.
Conjugation of sein
Konjugation von sein
6 different forms. Every form is different — you must memorize them all!
6 verschiedene Formen. Jede Form ist anders!
| Pronoun | sein | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ich | bin | am | Ich bin müde. (I am tired.) |
| du | bist | are | Du bist nett. (You are nice.) |
| er/sie/es | ist | is | Er ist groß. (He is tall.) |
| wir | sind | are | Wir sind hier. (We are here.) |
| ihr | seid | are | Ihr seid lustig. (You all are funny.) |
| sie/Sie | sind | are | Sie sind freundlich. (They/You are friendly.) |
sein is completely irregular. No pattern — just memorize: bin, bist, ist, sind, seid, sind.
bin-bist-ist-sind-seid-sind. Say it like a song!
Common Mistakes
-
✗ Ich ist müde.
✓ Ich bin müde.
ich always goes with bin. ist is for er/sie/es.
-
✗ Du sind nett.
✓ Du bist nett.
du always goes with bist. sind is for wir/sie/Sie.
Common Uses of sein
Häufige Verwendungen
| De | En | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Ich bin Anna. | My name is Anna. |
| Age | Ich bin 25 Jahre alt. | I am 25 years old. |
| Job | Ich bin Student. | I am a student. (no article!) |
| Nationality | Ich bin Deutscher. | I am German. |
| Location | Ich bin in Berlin. | I am in Berlin. |
| Feeling | Ich bin müde. | I am tired. |
| Description | Das ist gut. | That is good. |
You Use sein For
sein is used for identity, location, feelings, and descriptions.
Quick Reference
Kurzübersicht
- ▸sein = to be. The most important German verb.
- ▸ich bin, du bist, er/sie/es ist, wir sind, ihr seid, sie/Sie sind
- ▸Completely irregular — just memorize all 6 forms
- ▸Use for: name, age, job, nationality, location, feelings, descriptions
- ▸For jobs: no article! Ich bin Student, not Ich bin ein Student.
Examples
Ich bin Anna.
I am Anna.
binich + bin. Use sein to say your name.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ich | I |
| bin | am |
| Anna | Anna |
Du bist nett.
You are nice.
bistdu + bist. Use with friends and family.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Du | you (informal) |
| bist | are |
| nett | nice |
Er ist groß.
He is tall.
ister + ist. Also for sie (she) and es (it).
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Er | he |
| ist | is |
| groß | tall |
Wir sind Studenten.
We are students.
sindwir + sind. No article for jobs!
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Wir | we |
| sind | are |
| Studenten | students (no article) |
Ihr seid lustig.
You all are funny.
seidihr + seid. Use ihr for a group of friends.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ihr | you all |
| seid | are |
| lustig | funny |
Sie sind freundlich.
You are friendly. (formal)
sindSie + sind. Formal you uses the same form as they (sie).
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Sie | you (formal) / they |
| sind | are |
| freundlich | friendly |
Ich bin 25 Jahre alt.
I am 25 years old.
binUse sein for age. German says: I am 25 years old.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ich | I |
| bin | am |
| 25 | 25 |
| Jahre | years |
| alt | old |
Das ist mein Hund.
That is my dog.
istdas + ist for pointing at things. Very common!
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Das | that |
| ist | is |
| mein | my |
| Hund | dog |
Practice Exercises
8 interactive exercises
Ich ___ müde.
Ich ___ müde.
You got on this topic's exercises.
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Simple Past (sein/haben)
Master war and hatte for narration.
Personal Pronouns
Master ich, du, er, sie, es, wir, ihr, sie/Sie.
Common questions about the German verb sein
How do you conjugate sein in German?
The present-tense forms are ich bin, du bist, er/sie/es ist, wir sind, ihr seid and sie/Sie sind. Sein is irregular, so the stem changes completely and no ending rule helps you. English behaves the same way with am, are and is, so the fastest approach is to learn all six German forms as a fixed chant.
What is the difference between sein and haben?
Sein means to be and describes what or how something is: Ich bin müde (I am tired). Haben means to have and describes possession: Ich habe ein Auto. German splits them differently from English in fixed expressions — feelings such as hunger and thirst take haben, so I am hungry becomes Ich habe Hunger, never Ich bin hungrig with Hunger.
Why is Ich bin ein Student wrong?
Because German uses no article before professions after sein. The correct sentence is Ich bin Student, and likewise Sie ist Lehrerin and Ich bin Deutscher. The article only reappears when you add an adjective, as in Ich bin ein guter Student. English always needs the a here, which is why learners insert ein by reflex.
What do you use sein for in German?
Sein covers identity and states: your name (Ich bin Anna), your age (Ich bin 25 Jahre alt), your job (Ich bin Student), your nationality (Ich bin Deutscher), your location (Ich bin in Berlin), your feelings (Ich bin müde) and general descriptions (Das ist gut). It links a subject to a description rather than expressing an action.
Is sein the same as the possessive sein his?
They are two different words that happen to look alike. The verb sein means to be and appears in forms such as bin, bist and ist. The possessive sein means his or its and stands directly before a noun: sein Buch, sein Vater. Word position tells them apart instantly, since the possessive is always followed by a noun.