FAQ - Frequently asked questions

about the Cactus2000 conjugation tables (German)

• How to analyze a conjugated expression ?
• Must the input expression be complete ?
• Must the input expression contain personal pronouns ?
• Must the input expression contain reflexive pronouns ?
• Is the order of words in the input expression important ?
• Is capitalization important ?
• How to search for a conjugation table ?
• General questions
• How to type special German letters ?
• Why are the tenses Perfekt II and Plusquamperfekt II included in the tables?
  
• Why are unusable forms in passive included in the tables?
  
• Why are there no translations of the verbs to other languages?
  

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To get a conjugation table, type any sequence of letters from the infinitive of at least 3 letters into the lightblue field and click on the button "Table". For seaching a form, type the expression into the pink field completely and click on the button "Form".

How to analyze a conjugated expression ?

Type the complete expression you want to analyze into the input field. Then click the button „Form“. The following will be displayed for all found forms (input of the example: "ich hatte gesucht"):

Must the input expression be complete ?

The search for conjugation forms only finds expressions that are given completely (as written in the conjugation tables). However, the input of the personal pronoun is optional. It is not allowed that the input expression contains additional words. The subject of a sentence may be replaced by the personal pronoun. Pay attention to correct spelling.

Must the input expression contain personal pronouns ?

Expressions you want to analyze must be typed in completely. Only personal pronouns may be omitted. However, when you give a personal pronoun, the choice of found forms often is smaller.
There are three personal pronouns for the 3. person singular (er, sie and es). On input, just type one of these personal pronouns. The output will contain all three pronouns (er/sie/es).
The feminine pronoun "sie" of the 3. person singular also is the personal pronoun in the 3. person plural. In addition, there is the polite form "Sie" in the 3. person plural. To restrict the output to the 3. person singular, it is recommended to use the pronouns "er" or "es" instead of "sie".

Must the input expression contain reflexive pronouns ?

One reflexive pronoun in the input expression will be ignored. More than one reflexive pronouns are not allowed. As in the conjugation tables, the output will contain a reflexive pronoun in the case of verbs that are only used reflexively. Verbs that are used reflexively only optionally, will be given without reflexive pronoun on output.

Is the order of words in the input expression important ?

When a conjugated expression contains several words, the order on input is not important. This makes the input easier, since the order of words differs in the German language in main and subordinate clauses and in questions, as the following example shows:

Is capitalization important ?

When searching a conjugation form, the input may be done with upper case and lower case letters. Therefore, in the following example, with the input „GIBT er ACHT“ both „er gibt acht“ from „achtgeben“ as well as „er gibt Acht“ from „Acht geben“ will be found.

How to search for a conjugation table ?

To search for a conjugation table type the infinitive of the verb or a short sequence of letters from the infinitive (minimum three) into the input field. The more letters you type, the smaller the choice of found verbs will be. Afterwards click on the button „Table“. You receive a list with links to the conjugation tables of all verbs that contain the input sequence of letters.

General questions

How to type special German letters ?

In the case that your keyboard does not contain special German letters (the Umlauts ä, ö and ü as well as ß), you may use the following sequences instead: ä = ae, ö = oe, ü = ue, ß = ss.

Why are the tenses Perfekt II and Plusquamperfekt II included in the tables?

The tenses Perfekt II and Plusquamperfekt II (also called Doppelperfekt and Doppelplusquamperfekt) are not used in the written German language. However, they are used in the colloquial language sometimes. We do not recommend the active use of these tenses. They are included in the tables since you might hear them from time to time.

Why are unusable forms in passive included in the tables?

The tables contain passive forms of all verbs except of those that are only used as reflective verbs. In many cases it depends on the context whether the passive form of a verb can be used or not.
One example are verbs with several meanings, e. g. "kosten". Using it regarding a price (translation = to cost) a sentennce in active form like "Die Flasche Wein kostet 5 €." cannot be transformed into a passive sentence like "5 € wird von der Flasche Wein gekostet.". If you use the same verb regarding the taste (translation = to taste) in a sentence like "Wir kosten den Wein.", this may be transformed to "Der Wein wird von uns gekostet".
For most verbs that are conjugated with "sein" passive forms make no sense. In addition, with these verbs some forms of the Zustandspassivs are identical with some active forms. This may lead to misunderstading, if you want to use a passive form of this verb. However, passive sentences like "Er wurde gegangen" (instead of "Er wurde hinausgeworfen") are quite common. The inpersonal use ("Es wurde radgefahren.") with a passive form is possible for most of these verbs.

Why are there no translations of the verbs to other languages?

It is not intended that the conjugation tables are used as a substitute for a dictionary. Instead, it is assumed, that the user knows the basics of German grammar and the translation of the verbs, he wants to conjugate. (Therefore, the names of the tenses are also given in German only.) If you do not know the meaning of a verb, we recommend the use of a dictionary. A dictionary should also be more comprehensive concerning multiple meanings of a verb than a conjugation table with translations could be.