Past Tenses in German: Perfekt and Präteritum
German has two main past tenses: Perfekt and Prateritum. Both express past events, but they are used in different situations. This article teaches you how each is formed, when to use which, and how to avoid the most common mistakes.
Perfekt — The Spoken Past
Perfekt is the most common past tense in spoken German. It is used when talking about past events in everyday conversation.
Perfekt is formed with two parts:
- A conjugated auxiliary verb (haben or sein)
- The past participle (Partizip II) at the end of the sentence
Structure: Subject + haben/sein + … + Partizip II
Examples:
- Ich habe Kaffee getrunken. (I drank coffee.)
- Wir haben einen Film gesehen. (We watched a film.)
- Sie ist nach Berlin gefahren. (She traveled to Berlin.)
- Er ist spat gekommen. (He came late.)
Past Participle — Regular Verbs
The past participle of regular verbs follows the pattern:
ge- + verb stem + -t
| Infinitive | Partizip II | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| machen | gemacht | to do/make |
| spielen | gespielt | to play |
| lernen | gelernt | to learn |
| kaufen | gekauft | to buy |
| arbeiten | gearbeitet | to work |
Note: if the verb stem ends in -t or -d, an extra -e- is added before the ending (gearbeitet, geredet).
Inseparable Verb Participles
Verbs with inseparable prefixes (be-, emp-, ent-, er-, ge-, miss-, ver-, zer-) do not receive the ge- prefix:
| Infinitive | Partizip II | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| besuchen | besucht | to visit |
| erzahlen | erzahlt | to tell |
| verkaufen | verkauft | to sell |
| verstehen | verstanden | to understand |
Separable Verb Participles
In separable verbs, ge- is inserted between the prefix and the stem:
| Infinitive | Partizip II | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| aufmachen | aufgemacht | to open |
| einkaufen | eingekauft | to shop |
| anfangen | angefangen | to begin |
-ieren Verbs
Verbs ending in -ieren do not receive the ge- prefix:
| Infinitive | Partizip II | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| telefonieren | telefoniert | to phone |
| studieren | studiert | to study |
| fotografieren | fotografiert | to photograph |
Past Participle — Irregular Verbs
Irregular verbs form the past participle with the pattern:
ge- + changed stem + -en
| Infinitive | Partizip II | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| trinken | getrunken | to drink |
| sehen | gesehen | to see |
| schreiben | geschrieben | to write |
| fahren | gefahren | to drive |
| sprechen | gesprochen | to speak |
| nehmen | genommen | to take |
| geben | gegeben | to give |
| lesen | gelesen | to read |
| kommen | gekommen | to come |
| finden | gefunden | to find |
Irregular past participles need to be memorized, but the most common ones number only a few dozen.
Haben or Sein as Auxiliary?
The majority of verbs use haben as their auxiliary. However, certain verbs require sein.
Verbs that use sein:
1. Verbs of movement (from one place to another):
- Ich bin nach Berlin gefahren. (I traveled to Berlin.)
- Er ist nach Hause gelaufen. (He walked home.)
- Wir sind ins Kino gegangen. (We went to the cinema.)
- Sie ist nach Deutschland geflogen. (She flew to Germany.)
2. Verbs expressing a change of state:
- Er ist eingeschlafen. (He fell asleep.)
- Die Blume ist gewachsen. (The flower grew.)
- Das Eis ist geschmolzen. (The ice melted.)
- Er ist gestorben. (He died.)
3. Sein, werden, bleiben:
- Ich bin zu Hause geblieben. (I stayed at home.)
- Er ist Lehrer geworden. (He became a teacher.)
- Ich bin krank gewesen. (I was sick.)
Verbs that use haben:
All other verbs use haben:
- Ich habe ein Buch gelesen. (I read a book.)
- Wir haben Pizza gegessen. (We ate pizza.)
- Sie hat Musik gehort. (She listened to music.)
- Er hat den Brief geschrieben. (He wrote the letter.)
Rule of thumb: If the verb expresses movement from one place to another or a change of state and has no direct object, use sein. Otherwise use haben.
Prateritum — The Written Past
Prateritum is the other German past tense. It is primarily used in written language (news, literature, formal texts) and with certain common verbs also in spoken language.
Regular Verbs in Prateritum
Regular verbs add a -te marker plus the personal ending to the stem:
machen:
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| ich | machte |
| du | machtest |
| er/sie/es | machte |
| wir | machten |
| ihr | machtet |
| sie/Sie | machten |
Examples:
- Ich machte die Tur auf. (I opened the door.)
- Wir spielten Fussball. (We played football.)
- Sie lernten Deutsch. (They learned German.)
Irregular Verbs in Prateritum
Irregular verbs change their stem vowel:
| Infinitive | Prateritum (ich) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| gehen | ging | to go |
| kommen | kam | to come |
| sehen | sah | to see |
| fahren | fuhr | to drive |
| sprechen | sprach | to speak |
| schreiben | schrieb | to write |
| trinken | trank | to drink |
| geben | gab | to give |
| nehmen | nahm | to take |
| finden | fand | to find |
Sein, Haben, and Werden in Prateritum
These three verbs are used in Prateritum even in spoken language:
Sein:
- ich war, du warst, er war, wir waren, ihr wart, sie waren
- Ich war gestern in Berlin. (I was in Berlin yesterday.)
Haben:
- ich hatte, du hattest, er hatte, wir hatten, ihr hattet, sie hatten
- Ich hatte keine Zeit. (I had no time.)
Werden:
- ich wurde, du wurdest, er wurde, wir wurden, ihr wurdet, sie wurden
- Es wurde kalt. (It became cold.)
Perfekt or Prateritum — When to Use Which?
| Situation | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Spoken language, everyday | Perfekt | Ich habe gestern Pizza gegessen. |
| Written text, news | Prateritum | Der Prasident sprach vor dem Parlament. |
| sein, haben, modal verbs | Prateritum (also in speech) | Ich war mude. Ich hatte Hunger. |
| Storytelling, literature | Prateritum | Es war einmal ein Konig… |
In practice: speak in Perfekt, write in Prateritum. The exception is sein, haben, and modal verbs, where Prateritum sounds more natural even in speech (“Ich war krank” sounds more natural than “Ich bin krank gewesen”).
Practical Tips
1. Learn the most common participles first. About 50 of the most common irregular verbs cover the vast majority of your needs. Make a list and use them in sentences.
2. Remember the haben/sein division. Movement + change of state = sein, everything else = haben. This simplification works almost every time.
3. Use Prateritum for sein and haben. Even if you otherwise speak in Perfekt, “ich war” and “ich hatte” sound more natural than their Perfekt equivalents.
4. Read German texts. Prateritum becomes automatic best through reading. Short news articles and stories are excellent practice material.
5. Do not try to learn everything at once. Start with Perfekt, since that is what you need most in conversation. Prateritum will come naturally through exposure to written German.
