Stem Change e To ie

Level 1

In German, some common verbs like sehen (to see) and lesen (to read) change their stem vowel from e to ie when talking about 'you' (singular) or 'he/she/it'.

How It Works

The e→ie stem change is a key feature of a small, specific group of German strong verbs.

1. When does it happen?
It occurs in the present indicative for the following subjects:

  • du (you singular)
  • er / sie / es (he / she / it)

It also applies to the informal singular command form (imperative du).

2. Which verbs are affected?
This change applies only to a limited number of verbs. While these verbs have a long 'e' in the infinitive, most verbs with a long 'e' (like gehen, stehen, or heben) keep their vowel in the present tense and do not change. Common examples of the e→ie change include:

  • sehen (to see) → du siehst, er sieht
  • lesen (to read) → du liest, er liest
  • empfehlen (to recommend) → du empfiehlst, er empfiehlt
  • stehlen (to steal) → du stiehlst, er stiehlt
  • befehlen (to command) → du befiehlst, er befiehlt
  • geschehen (to happen) → es geschieht

Note: Some high-frequency verbs like geben and nehmen follow the e→i stem change instead. Watch out for treten (to step/kick); despite its long 'e', it changes to a short 'i' (du trittst).

3. Separable Prefixes
The change still occurs even if the verb has a separable prefix. For example: fernsehen (to watch TV) → du siehst fern.

4. The Imperative Rule
This vowel change is standard in the singular informal imperative (e.g., Lies! or Sieh!). Unlike regular verbs, these verbs do not take the optional '-e' ending in spoken commands. Note that Siehe is a specialized form used in texts to mean 'refer to' (e.g., siehe oben - see above), but Sieh! is the form used for direct commands.

5. Important Note on 'lesen'
Because the stem of lesen ends in 's', we don't add an extra 's' for the du form. It is simply du liest, making the du and er/sie/es forms look identical.

Examples (5)

  1. Ich sehe den Hund, aber du siehst ihn nicht.

    I see the dog, but you don't see him.

    Word by Word: I see the dog, but you see him not.

    Notice how 'ich sehe' is regular, but 'du siehst' undergoes the e→ie change.

  2. Er liest jeden Abend ein Buch.

    He reads a book every evening.

    Word by Word: He reads every evening a book.

    The verb 'lesen' changes to 'liest' for the third person singular (er).

  3. Der Kellner empfiehlt die Suppe.

    The waiter recommends the soup.

    Word by Word: The waiter recommends the soup.

    Even longer verbs like 'empfehlen' follow this rule in the 'er/sie/es' form.

  4. Was siehst du da?

    What do you see there?

    Word by Word: What see you there?

    In questions, the stem change 'siehst' is still required for 'du'.

  5. Lies bitte den Text laut vor!

    Please read the text out loud!

    Word by Word: Read please the text loud out!

    The stem change also applies to the singular imperative (command) form.

Common Mistakes

  • Applying the stem change to the 'ihr' (you plural) form.

    Ihr sieht sehr müde aus.
    Ihr seht sehr müde aus.

    Stem changes only happen in the singular (du/er/sie/es). The plural 'ihr' always uses the regular stem from the infinitive.

  • Confusing the e→ie change with the e→i change.

    Er lisst ein Buch.
    Er liest ein Buch.

    Only a few verbs, like 'lesen' and 'sehen', change to 'ie'. Other stem-changing verbs, like 'essen' or 'geben', change to 'i'. 'Lesen' is one of the 'ie' verbs, so it is 'liest'.

  • Forgetting the stem change entirely.

    Du sehst den Film.
    Du siehst den Film.

    Strong verbs are not optional; you must use the 'ie' spelling for these specific verbs to be grammatically correct.

How It Connects

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Stem Change e To ieLevel 1

Learn This First

To learn stem-changing verbs, you first need a solid foundation in regular verb conjugation and the singular personal pronouns, as the vowel shift only affects specific persons in the present tense.