Key Idea: This topic is about the past in German: the Perfekt, the Präteritum, when to use each one, and the Plusquamperfekt for the past before the past.
Perfekt
- haben or sein + Partizip II at the end: {{ich habe gemacht, ich bin gegangen|I have done, I have gone}}
- sein for movement and change of state; haben for all other verbs.
- Regular participle: ge-…-t (gemacht). Learn the strong ones: gegangen, gegessen, gesehen, geschrieben.
| Verb type | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Weak | add -te | wohnen → wohnte |
| Strong | new vowel, no ending for ich and er | gehen → ging |
| Learn by heart | sein, haben, modals | war, hatte, konnte |
| Tense | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Perfekt | speaking, blogs, emails, chats | Ich habe einen Film gesehen. |
| Präteritum | stories, reports, the news | Das Mädchen ging in den Wald. |
| Exception | sein, haben and modals: Präteritum even in speech | Ich konnte nicht kommen. |
Plusquamperfekt
- hatte or war + Partizip II: {{ich hatte gemacht, ich war gegangen|I had done, I had gone}}
- Use it for an action that was already over before another past action, often after «nachdem».
- Pick war or hatte as you would pick the Perfekt helper. Keep the main clause in the Präteritum.
Speaking? Use the Perfekt. Writing a story? Use the Präteritum. War and hatte work in both.
Which helper does «fahren» take in the Perfekt? Sein. It is a movement verb.
What is the Präteritum of «kommen»? Kam.
You tell a friend you were tired. Which form? «Ich war müde.» Sein stays in the Präteritum.
Why is «gehte» wrong? Gehen is strong. Its past is ging, with no -te.
«Nachdem ich gegessen ___, ging ich.» hatte or habe? Hatte. This action came first, so it takes the past helper.