The auxiliary verb 'werden' in German
Meaning of "Werden"
1.-Werden means "to become" or "to turn into" when it functions as a full verb.
Das Brot ist steinhart geworden
The bread turned/became as hard as stone
2.-Additionally, it is one of the 3 auxiliary verbs in German together with haben and sein.
Auxiliary verb
"Werden" functions as an auxiliary verb in the following verb tenses:
"Werden" also is an auxiliary in:
- For one type of passive: the Vorgangspassiv
Das Buch wird von der Frau gelesen
The book is read by the woman - To construct the "Konjunktiv II" for most verbs with the syntax "würde + [infinitive]"
Ich würde ein neues Auto kaufen
I would buy a new car
Copulative Verb
The verb "werden" together with the verbs bleiben and sein are copulatives. This means that the clauses are formed with two nominatives:
Er wird ein großer Sänger
He will become a big star
"Er" and "ein großer Sänger" are declined in the nominative.
The Conjugation of the verb "werden"
"Werden" is irregular which is why its conjugation has to be learned.
| Verb | 3rd Person | Präteritum | Partizip II | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| werden | (wird) | wurde | geworden | to become |
Present simple (Präsens Indikativ)
| Conjugation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ich werde | I become |
| du wirst | you become |
| er wird | he becomes |
| wir werden | we become |
| ihr werdet | you become |
| sie werden | they become |
Sie wird eine gute Lehrerin
She will become a great teacher
Du wirst dick, wenn du nur Süßigkeiten isst
You’ll get fat if you only eat sweets
Die Autos werden immer teurer
Cars are becoming more expensive all the time
Wein wird besser wenn er älter wird
Wine gets better as it gets older
More information about present simple
Subjunctive I (Konjunktiv I)
| Conjugation |
|---|
| ich werde |
| du werdest |
| er werde |
| wir werden |
| ihr werdet |
| sie werden |
More information about Konjunktiv I
Simple Past (Präteritum)
| Conjungation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ich wurde | I became |
| du wurdest | you became |
| er wurde | he became |
| wir wurden | we became |
| ihr wurdet | you became |
| sie wurden | they became |
Und dann wurde ich eine Astronautin
And then I became an astronaut
More information about Präteritum
Konjunktiv II
| Conjugation |
|---|
| ich würde |
| du würdest |
| er würde |
| wir würden |
| ihr würdet |
| sie würden |
More information about Konjunktiv II
Imperative (Imperativ)
| Imperativ | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd Person Singular | werde | become |
| 2nd Person Plural | werdet | become |
More information about imperative
Futur I
The Futur I of the verb werden is rarely used because the present of werden already gives a feeling of the future because of its meaning.
| Conjugation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ich werde werden | I will become |
| du wirst werden | you will become |
| er wird werden | he will become |
| wir werden werden | we will become |
| ihr werdet werden | you will become |
| sie werden werden | they will become |
Ich werde reich werden
I will become rich
Participle (Partizip II)
| geworden / worden |
"Worden" is the participle of werden when it acts as an auxiliary verb and "geworden" is used when werden acts as a full verb.
"Werden" as an auxiliary (worden):
Wann ist der Rechner gekauft worden?
When was the computer bought?
"Werden" as a full verb (geworden):
Ich bin schwanger geworden, als ich 28 war
I got pregnant when I was 28
Auxiliary verb (Hilfsverb)
| sein |
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