The Perfect Tense (Perfekt) in German is used to describe past actions or events. It is one of the most common ways to talk about the past in spoken German and is equivalent to “I have eaten” or “I ate” in English. In this lesson, you will learn how to form the perfect tense, the role of auxiliary verbs, and when to use “haben” or “sein.”
What You Will Learn
- What the perfect tense is and when to use it.
- The role of auxiliary verbs (haben and sein).
- How to form the past participle of regular and irregular verbs.
- Sentence structure in the perfect tense.
- Practice exercises to reinforce your understanding.
What is the Perfect Tense?
The perfect tense is used to describe:
- Actions that happened in the past and are completed.
- Ich habe gegessen. (I ate/I have eaten.)
- Past experiences or events.
- Wir sind nach Berlin gefahren. (We went to Berlin.)
It is most common in spoken German, while the Simple Past (Präteritum) is more common in formal writing.
How to Form the Perfect Tense
The perfect tense consists of two parts:
- An auxiliary verb (haben or sein) in the present tense.
- The past participle of the main verb.
Example:
- Ich habe ein Buch gelesen. (I read a book.)
- Auxiliary verb: habe (from haben)
- Past participle: gelesen (read)
Auxiliary Verbs: “Haben” or “Sein”?
Whether you use haben or sein as the auxiliary verb depends on the type of verb:
Use “haben” for:
- Transitive verbs (verbs that take a direct object):
- Ich habe das Buch gelesen. (I read the book.)
- Most verbs expressing a state or activity:
- Wir haben Musik gehört. (We listened to music.)
Use “sein” for:
- Verbs indicating movement or change of state:
- Ich bin nach Hause gegangen. (I went home.)
- Er ist eingeschlafen. (He fell asleep.)
- A few exceptions:sein (to be), bleiben (to stay), werden (to become):
- Wir sind hier geblieben. (We stayed here.)
Forming the Past Participle
1. Regular Verbs
For regular verbs, the past participle is formed by:
- Adding “ge-“ to the beginning of the verb stem.
- Adding “-t” or “-et” to the end of the verb stem.
Examples:
| Infinitive | Stem | Past Participle | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| machen | mach | gemacht | Ich habe meine Hausaufgaben gemacht. (I did my homework.) |
| spielen | spiel | gespielt | Er hat Fußball gespielt. (He played soccer.) |
| arbeiten | arbeit | gearbeitet | Sie hat gestern gearbeitet. (She worked yesterday.) |
2. Irregular Verbs
Irregular verbs often:
- Use “ge-“ at the beginning but have a unique ending (often “-en”).
- Undergo a vowel change in the stem.
Examples:
| Infinitive | Stem | Past Participle | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| essen | ess | gegessen | Ich habe Pizza gegessen. (I ate pizza.) |
| sehen | seh | gesehen | Wir haben einen Film gesehen. (We watched a movie.) |
| fahren | fahr | gefahren | Sie ist nach Berlin gefahren. (She went to Berlin.) |
3. Verbs with Inseparable Prefixes
Verbs with inseparable prefixes (be-, er-, ge-, ent-, ver-, zer-) do not use “ge-“ in the past participle.
Examples:
| Infinitive | Past Participle | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| besuchen | besucht | Ich habe meine Eltern besucht. (I visited my parents.) |
| verstehen | verstanden | Er hat die Aufgabe verstanden. (He understood the task.) |
4. Verbs with Separable Prefixes
Verbs with separable prefixes place “ge-“ between the prefix and the stem.
Examples:
| Infinitive | Past Participle | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| aufstehen | aufgestanden | Ich bin um 7 Uhr aufgestanden. (I got up at 7 a.m.) |
| einkaufen | eingekauft | Wir haben Obst eingekauft. (We bought fruit.) |
Word Order in the Perfect Tense
- In statements, the auxiliary verb comes in the second position, and the past participle goes to the end.
- Ich habe ein Buch gelesen. (I read a book.)
- Er ist nach Hause gegangen. (He went home.)
- In questions, the auxiliary verb comes first, followed by the subject, and the past participle remains at the end.
- Hast du Deutsch gelernt? (Have you learned German?)
- Ist sie ins Kino gegangen? (Did she go to the cinema?)
- In subordinate clauses, the auxiliary verb follows the subject, and the past participle remains at the end.
- Ich weiß, dass er Deutsch gelernt hat. (I know that he learned German.)
- Wir hoffen, dass sie gekommen ist. (We hope that she came.)
Practice Exercises
Exercise 1: Choose the Correct Auxiliary Verb
Decide whether to use haben or sein in these sentences:
- Wir _________ (haben/sein) ins Kino gegangen.
- Ich _________ (haben/sein) ein Buch gelesen.
- Er _________ (haben/sein) nach Hause gefahren.
- Sie _________ (haben/sein) viel gearbeitet.
Exercise 2: Form the Past Participle
Write the past participle for these verbs:
- spielen
- fahren
- besuchen
- aufstehen
- verstehen
Exercise 3: Complete the Sentences
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the auxiliary verb and past participle:
- Ich __________ (haben) einen Film __________ (sehen).
- Wir __________ (sein) früh __________ (aufstehen).
- Sie __________ (haben) ihre Hausaufgaben __________ (machen).
- Er __________ (sein) nach Berlin __________ (fahren).
Exercise 4: Translate the Sentences
Translate these sentences into German:
- I have eaten pizza.
- She went to the park.
- We have worked a lot.
- Did you see the movie?
Summary
In this lesson, you learned:
- How to form the perfect tense with haben and sein.
- How to create past participles for regular, irregular, and prefix verbs.
- The word order rules for the perfect tense.
Homework
- Write 5 sentences using the perfect tense with haben.
- Write 5 sentences using the perfect tense with sein.
- Practice forming the past participles of 10 new verbs.