📚 Past Tenses in English and German
English and German both have two main tenses for referring to past events: the present perfect tense and the simple past tense.
In English, you use the present perfect if a past event is still fairly closely connected to the present: "I have just talked to him."
In German, the present perfect tense is mostly used for the spoken language, while the simple past is used for written German.
It rained yesterday. (lit: It has rained)
Fifteen years ago I worked for IBM.
🎯 Regular and Irregular Verbs - Overview
For most verbs in German, you form the present perfect tense with a form of haben "to have" + the past participle of the main verb:
haben + getrunken = "have drunk"
Ich habe mit ihm gesprochen.
Ich sprach mit ihm.
Some verbs use the finite form of sein instead of haben:
I've gone (I went) to Paris.
✅ Regular Verbs (Weak Verbs)
Formation
The present perfect tense of regular verbs is constructed by using the present tense of haben + the past participle.
You form the participle by using the stem of the verb (infinitive minus -en) and add ge- in front and -t at the end:
kauf-en → ge-kauf-t
spiel-en → ge-spiel-t
sag-en → ge-sag-t
Complete Conjugation: spielen (to play)
| Person | Present Perfect | English |
|---|---|---|
| ich | habe gespielt | I have played |
| du | hast gespielt | you have played |
| er/sie/es | hat gespielt | he/she/it has played |
| wir | haben gespielt | we have played |
| ihr | habt gespielt | you (pl.) have played |
| sie/Sie | haben gespielt | they/you (formal) have played |
She bought a new dress.
Yesterday I played tennis.
⚡ Irregular Verbs (Strong Verbs)
Formation
Irregular verbs form their past participle in most cases by adding ge- to the stem and -en at the end:
les-en → ge-les-en
schlaf-en → ge-schlaf-en
Common Irregular Verbs
| Infinitive | Past Participle | English |
|---|---|---|
| finden | gefunden | to find |
| helfen | geholfen | to help |
| schreiben | geschrieben | to write |
| trinken | getrunken | to drink |
| sehen | gesehen | to see |
| sprechen | gesprochen | to speak |
Have you seen the new Bond film?
We (have) found a new flat.
Maike (has) helped me a lot.
They drank/have drunk too much beer.
🔄 Mixed Verbs
There is also a group of verbs (often called mixed verbs) which have a stem change but add -t instead of -en:
| Infinitive | Past Participle | English |
|---|---|---|
| bringen | gebracht | to bring |
| denken | gedacht | to think |
| wissen | gewusst | to know |
I thought so.
I didn't know that.
🏃 Verbs with sein
Verbs of Motion
| Infinitive | Past Participle | English |
|---|---|---|
| fahren | gefahren | to go, to drive |
| fliegen | geflogen | to fly |
| gehen | gegangen | to go, to walk |
| kommen | gekommen | to come |
| laufen | gelaufen | to run |
| schwimmen | geschwommen | to swim |
| reisen | gereist | to travel |
I've gone to Paris.
Did you fly with KLM?
He went on foot.
Change of State Verbs
| Infinitive | Past Participle | English |
|---|---|---|
| bleiben | geblieben | to stay |
| sterben | gestorben | to die |
| werden | geworden | to become |
How long have you stayed in the States?
She's become a teacher.
🔑 Present Perfect of haben and sein
As auxiliary verbs, haben and sein play an important role in forming the present perfect tense. But it's also important to know their participle forms:
He hasn't had (didn't have) any time.
Where have you been?
⚠️ Special Cases to Watch Out For
1. Verbs with Stem Endings in -d or -t
Verbs whose stem ends in -d or -t need an extra -e to form the participle:
Have you been talking so much again?
He's worked a lot.
arbeiten → gearbeitet (not gearbeitet)
2. Verbs with Inseparable Prefixes
Verbs with an inseparable prefix such as be-, er-, ver-, zer- do NOT put ge- in front:
| Infinitive | Past Participle | Type |
|---|---|---|
| bezahlen | bezahlt | Regular |
| verkaufen | verkauft | Regular |
| verlieren | verloren | Irregular |
He's paid for the meal.
We've sold the car.
I've lost my diary.
3. Verbs Ending in -ieren
Verbs ending in -ieren also do NOT add ge- at the front:
He's studied in Berlin.
What has happened?
4. Separable Verbs
Separable verbs form the past participle like other regular or irregular verbs, but the prefix stays at the front:
| Type | Formula | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Regular | prefix + ge + stem + t | aufmachen → aufgemacht |
| Regular | prefix + ge + stem + t | einkaufen → eingekauft |
| Irregular | prefix + ge + stem + en | aufstehen → aufgestanden |
| Irregular | prefix + ge + stem + en | fernsehen → ferngesehen |
Have you opened the beer?
The parents have done the shopping.
Have you got up early again?
We've watched television for three hours.
📋 Summary: Present Perfect Formation
| Verb Type | Auxiliary | Participle Formation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | haben | ge + stem + t | gespielt, gekauft |
| Irregular | haben | ge + stem + en (vowel change) | gesehen, getrunken |
| Mixed | haben | ge + stem + t (vowel change) | gedacht, gewusst |
| Motion/Change | sein | ge + stem + en | gefahren, geworden |
| Inseparable prefix | haben | prefix + stem + t/en (no ge-) | bezahlt, verloren |
| Verbs in -ieren | haben | stem + t (no ge-) | studiert, passiert |
| Separable verbs | haben/sein | prefix + ge + stem + t/en | aufgemacht, aufgestanden |
📝 Exercise 21.1
Which of these commonly used verbs form an irregular participle? Place a tick against them. Mark the ones which take sein with an asterisk (*). One example has been done for you.
📝 Exercise 21.2
Complete the sentences with the correct present perfect form. Use the hint in parentheses.
Example: Peter seine Schwester .
(besuchen) → Peter hat seine Schwester besucht.
1. Er bis zwanzig Uhr .
(arbeiten)
2. Ich ein Konzert mit Gloria Estefan .
(hören)
3. Paula eine neue Jacke .
(kaufen)
4. Was Sie ?
(sagen)
5. Wir lange auf den Bus .
(warten)
6. Früher Annette und Jörg in Berlin .
(wohnen)
7. Was du am Wochenende ?
(machen)
8. Er sehr viel .
(einkaufen)
9. Herr und Frau Stein beide in Heidelberg .
(studieren)
10. Susanne mit ihrer Kreditkarte .
(bezahlen)
📝 Exercise 21.3
Put the following sentences into the present perfect tense.
Example: Ich stehe um acht Uhr auf.
→ Ich bin um acht Uhr aufgestanden.
1. Ich esse ein Croissant.
→ Ich .
2. Ich lese die Zeitung.
→ Ich .
3. Ich fahre mit dem Fahrrad zur Arbeit.
→ Ich .
4. Ich schreibe am Computer.
→ Ich .
5. Ich spreche mit einem alten Freund.
→ Ich .
6. Um halb sieben treffe ich einen Freund.
→ Um halb sieben ich einen Freund .
7. Um zwanzig Uhr gehen wir ins Kino.
→ Um zwanzig Uhr wir ins Kino .
8. Wir sehen einen Film mit Julia Roberts.
→ Wir einen Film mit Julia Roberts .
9. Danach trinken wir noch etwas.
→ Danach wir noch etwas .
10. Um halb zwölf bin ich zu Hause.
→ Um halb zwölf ich zu Hause .
11. Ich sehe noch ein bisschen fern.
→ Ich noch ein bisschen .
📝 Exercise 21.4
Put the following sentences in the present perfect tense. Use the du, Sie and ihr forms for "you".
1. Herr Witte worked until nine o'clock.
(arbeiten)
du:
Sie:
ihr:
2. She bought a new CD.
(kaufen)
3. Michael studied in Berlin.
(studieren)
4. They paid by credit card.
(bezahlen)
5. He went to the cinema.
(gehen)
6. They watched television.
(fernsehen)
7. When did you get up?
(aufstehen)
du:
Sie:
ihr:
8. What did you do yesterday?
(machen)
du:
Sie:
ihr:
✓ Checklist
Test your understanding:
← From Previous (e20)
Building on: Modal Verbs - You learned how to express ability, necessity, and permission with verbs like können, müssen, dürfen. Now you can talk about past events using these modals in the perfect tense too!
→ Coming Next (e22)
Prepare for: Simple Past Tense - While the present perfect is used in spoken German, you'll learn the simple past (Präteritum) which is essential for written German and narrative texts.