Introduction to Past Tense in German
In German, there are two main past tenses used to describe events in the past: the preterite (also called simple past) and the perfect tense (spoken past). The perfect tense is more commonly used in spoken German, while the preterite is more common in writing, especially in literature and formal documents. This lesson will cover both forms with maximum examples.
Common Regular Verbs in the Past Tense (Perfect)
| Infinitive (Present) |
Perfect Tense (Past) |
English |
| machen |
hat gemacht |
to do / make |
| spielen |
hat gespielt |
to play |
| lernen |
hat gelernt |
to learn |
| wohnen |
hat gewohnt |
to live (reside) |
| hören |
hat gehört |
to hear |
Common Irregular Verbs in the Past Tense (Perfect)
| Infinitive (Present) |
Perfect Tense (Past) |
English |
| essen |
hat gegessen |
to eat |
| fahren |
ist gefahren |
to drive / go |
| sehen |
hat gesehen |
to see |
| kommen |
ist gekommen |
to come |
| gehen |
ist gegangen |
to go |
Example Sentences in the Past Tense (Perfect)
- Ich habe Fußball gespielt. (I played soccer.)
- Er hat den Film gesehen. (He watched the movie.)
- Wir sind nach Berlin gefahren. (We went to Berlin.)
- Sie hat ein Buch gelesen. (She read a book.)
- Ich bin gestern nach Hause gegangen. (I went home yesterday.)
Preterite (Simple Past) for Common Verbs
The preterite tense is often used in written German. For common verbs like haben (to have) and sein (to be), the preterite is frequently used even in spoken German.
| Infinitive |
Preterite (Past) |
English |
| haben |
hatte |
to have |
| sein |
war |
to be |
| gehen |
ging |
to go |
| sehen |
sah |
to see |
| machen |
machte |
to make |
Example Sentences in the Preterite (Simple Past)
- Er war sehr müde. (He was very tired.)
- Wir hatten viel Spaß. (We had a lot of fun.)
- Ich ging ins Kino. (I went to the cinema.)
- Sie sah einen Vogel. (She saw a bird.)
- Ich machte die Hausaufgaben. (I did the homework.)
Useful Phrases in the Past Tense
- Was hast du gestern gemacht? (What did you do yesterday?)
- Ich war letztes Wochenende im Urlaub. (I was on vacation last weekend.)
- Er hat das Auto gekauft. (He bought the car.)
- Wir sind ins Restaurant gegangen. (We went to the restaurant.)
- Hast du den Bericht gelesen? (Did you read the report?)