The Verb "werden"
To express a change of state in German—like "getting" tired, "turning" red, or "becoming" angry—you use the verb werden.
Be careful: while English speakers often say they are "getting" tired or angry, do not use the German verb for receiving objects (bekommen). For any change of state, always use werden.
| to become / to get (change of state) | werden |
werden is an irregular verb. In the present tense, the stem vowel changes for du and er/sie/es, and the d is dropped in the du form. Here is the full conjugation:
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| ich | werde |
| du | wirst |
| er/sie/es | wird |
| wir | werden |
| ihr | werdet |
| sie/Sie | werden |
Describing Changes in State
To say that someone or something is changing, simply pair a conjugated form of werden with an adjective.
| I am getting nervous. | Ich werde nervös. |
| The girl is turning red. | Das Mädchen wird rot. |
| The teachers are getting angry. | Die Lehrer werden wütend. |
Using "werden" in Context
You can use werden to talk about a wide variety of ongoing processes, from growing older to losing your mind.
| You are going crazy! | Du wirst verrückt! |
| The dog is getting old and weak. | Der Hund wird alt und schwach. |
Often, you will see werden used as the second action in a sentence to show the result of the first action.
| The boss works a lot and gets rich. | Der Chef arbeitet viel und wird reich. |
| The boss is speaking with the colleague and getting angry. | Der Chef spricht mit dem Kollegen und wird wütend. |