New to German? Start with heißen, wohnen, kommen & haben. Clear A1 conjugations, examples, and exercises to introduce yourself with confidence.
Your First 4 German Verbs: heißen, wohnen, kommen & haben
Starting your German journey can feel overwhelming, but the smartest strategy is to master the essentials first. Think about the most basic conversations you’ll have: introducing yourself, saying where you live, explaining where you’re from, and talking about what you own.
That’s where four powerhouse verbs come in: heißen, wohnen, kommen, and haben. Learn these four and you can already hold a simple, real conversation. In this guide, we’ll break them down step by step so you can start using them with confidence today.
Why Start with These Four Verbs?
These verbs are the building blocks of everyday German. With them, you can:
- Introduce yourself — “My name is…” (heißen)
- Say where you live — “I live in…” (wohnen)
- Share your origins — “I come from…” (kommen)
- Talk about what you have — “I have a…” (haben)
Three of them — wohnen, kommen, and haben — follow predictable patterns. (haben is slightly irregular, and heißen has one small spelling quirk — we’ll point both out below.) Let’s get started!
heißen
— “to be called / to be named”This is very often the first verb a German learner ever uses. It’s your go-to for introductions.
Conjugation (Present Tense)
| Deutsch | English | Hindi Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ich heiße | I am called | मेरा नाम … है |
| du heißt | you are called (informal) | तुम्हारा नाम … है (अनौपचारिक) |
| er/sie/es heißt | he/she/it is called | उसका नाम … है |
| wir heißen | we are called | हमारा नाम … है |
| ihr heißt | you are called (plural, informal) | तुम सबका नाम … है (अनौपचारिक) |
| Sie/sie heißen | you are called (formal) / they are called | आपका नाम … है / उनका नाम … है |
⚠️ Watch out: Because the verb stem already ends in -ß, the du form is du heißt — not “du heißst.” You don’t add an extra s. This is the single most common mistake beginners make with this verb.
How to Use heißen in Sentences
The most common structure is: Subject + heißen + Name.
- Ich heiße Anna. — My name is Anna.
- Wie heißt du? — What’s your name? (informal)
- Wie heißen Sie? — What is your name? (formal)
- Er heißt Klaus und sie heißt Petra. — His name is Klaus and her name is Petra.
💡 Pro Tip: “Wie heißen Sie?” literally means “How are you called?” It’s the standard, polite way to ask someone’s name. Note that names never take an article (no der/die/das).
wohnen
— “to live / to reside”Use this verb to talk about where you call home — your city, your street, or your type of accommodation.
Conjugation (Present Tense)
| Deutsch | English | Hindi Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ich wohne | I live | मैं रहता/रहती हूँ |
| du wohnst | you live (informal) | तुम रहते/रहती हो (अनौपचारिक) |
| er/sie/es wohnt | he/she/it lives | वह रहता/रहती है |
| wir wohnen | we live | हम रहते हैं |
| ihr wohnt | you live (plural, informal) | तुम सब रहते/रहती हो (अनौपचारिक) |
| Sie/sie wohnen | you live (formal) / they live | आप रहते/रहती हैं / वे रहते हैं |
How to Use wohnen in Sentences
You typically use it with the preposition “in” for cities and countries.
- Wo wohnst du? — Where do you live?
- Ich wohne in Berlin. — I live in Berlin.
- Wir wohnen in Deutschland. — We live in Germany.
kommen
— “to come”kommen is a versatile verb for movement. For beginners, it’s essential for stating where you’re from.
Conjugation (Present Tense)
| Deutsch | English | Hindi Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ich komme | I come | मैं आता/आती हूँ |
| du kommst | you come (informal) | तुम आते/आती हो (अनौपचारिक) |
| er/sie/es kommt | he/she/it comes | वह आता/आती है |
| wir kommen | we come | हम आते हैं |
| ihr kommt | you come (plural, informal) | तुम सब आते/आती हो (अनौपचारिक) |
| Sie/sie kommen | you come (formal) / they come | आप आते/आती हैं / वे आते हैं |
How to Use kommen in Sentences
To say where you’re from, use the structure: Subject + kommen + aus + Country/City.
- Ich komme aus Indien. — I come from India.
- Ich komme aus den USA. — I come from the USA.
- Woher kommst du? — Where do you come from?
- Er kommt aus der Schweiz. — He comes from Switzerland.
- Kommt ihr aus München? — Are you from Munich?
🇩🇪 Language Note: “Woher?” is the question word for “from where?” In everyday speech you’ll often hear it split apart: “Wo kommst du her?” Both versions mean exactly the same thing.
haben
— “to have”haben lets you talk about what you own or possess. It’s slightly irregular — notice how the du and er/sie/es forms drop the -b- (it’s du hast, not “du habst”). Memorize these two forms and the rest fall into place.
Conjugation (Present Tense)
| Deutsch | English | Hindi Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ich habe | I have | मेरे पास है |
| du hast | you have (informal) | तुम्हारे पास है |
| er/sie/es hat | he/she/it has | उसके पास है |
| wir haben | we have | हमारे पास है |
| ihr habt | you have (plural, informal) | तुम सब के पास है |
| Sie/sie haben | you have (formal) / they have | आपके पास है / उनके पास है |
⚠️ Watch out: The two short forms — du hast and er/sie/es hat — lose the b. These are the only “irregular” forms, so learn them as a pair.
How to Use haben in Sentences
- Ich habe ein Auto. — I have a car.
- Du hast ein Buch. — You have a book.
- Er hat ein Fahrrad. — He has a bicycle.
- Wir haben ein Haus. — We have a house.
- Sie haben eine Idee. — They have an idea.
Let’s Practice Together: A Mini-Dialogue
See how all four verbs work together in a real conversation:
Quick Practice Exercise
Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb in brackets. Try them first, then check your answers!
- Ich _____ Maria. (heißen)
- Wo _____ du? (wohnen)
- Er _____ aus Frankreich. (kommen)
- Wir _____ ein Haus in Hamburg. (haben)
- Wie _____ Sie? (heißen)
- _____ ihr aus München? (kommen)
Show answer key
1. heiße · 2. wohnst · 3. kommt · 4. haben · 5. heißen · 6. Kommt
More Example Sentences
heißen — to be called
- Ich heiße Max. My name is Max. मेरा नाम मैक्स है।
- Sie heißt Anna. Her name is Anna. उसका नाम अन्ना है।
- Wie heißen Sie? What is your name? (formal) आपका नाम क्या है?
wohnen — to live
- Ich wohne in Berlin. I live in Berlin. मैं बर्लिन में रहता हूँ।
- Wo wohnst du? Where do you live? तुम कहाँ रहते हो?
- Er wohnt in Hamburg. He lives in Hamburg. वह हैम्बर्ग में रहता है।
kommen — to come from
- Ich komme aus Indien. I come from India. मैं भारत से आता हूँ।
- Woher kommst du? Where do you come from? तुम कहाँ से आते हो?
- Er kommt aus Deutschland. He comes from Germany. वह जर्मनी से आता है।
haben — to have
- Ich habe ein Auto. I have a car. मेरे पास एक गाड़ी है।
- Du hast ein Buch. You have a book. तुम्हारे पास एक किताब है।
- Wir haben ein Haus. We have a house. हमारे पास एक घर है।
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Mixing up wohnen and kommen. wohnen is your current residence; kommen aus is your origin.
- Ich wohne in Berlin. — I currently live there.
- Ich komme aus Berlin. — I was born / grew up there.
- Forgetting the preposition. It’s always kommen aus for origin and wohnen in for a city or country.
- Adding an extra s to du heißt. The stem ends in -ß, so there’s no double s: it’s du heißt.
- Saying “du habst.” haben is irregular in the du and er/sie/es forms — it’s du hast and er/sie/es hat.
Summary & Next Steps
Congratulations! You’ve just learned four fundamental German verbs. You can now:
- Introduce yourself with heißen
- Say where you live with wohnen
- State your origin with kommen aus
- Talk about what you own with haben
To lock in your learning, write your own self-introduction using all four verbs:
Hallo! Ich heiße [Your Name]. Ich komme aus [Your Country] und ich wohne in [Your City]. Ich habe [something you own].
Ready for the next step? Explore more essential regular verbs like lernen (to learn) and arbeiten (to work) to keep expanding your vocabulary.
Viel Erfolg! 🎉