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German Perfect Tense (Perfekt) Overview
The German perfect tense (Perfekt) is the most commonly used past tense in spoken German. It's formed with an auxiliary verb (haben or sein) plus the past participle.
Formula: haben/sein + past participle
Usage: Conversational German, informal situations, completed actions
The Perfekt is essential for everyday German communication and is preferred over Präteritum in speech.
Examples
Ich habe Deutsch gelernt.
I have learned German. / I learned German.
Sie ist nach Hause gegangen.
She has gone home. / She went home.
Wir haben einen Film gesehen.
We have seen a movie. / We saw a movie.
Auxiliary Verbs: Haben vs Sein
The choice between haben and sein as auxiliary verbs follows specific rules:
Haben (most verbs):
- Transitive verbs (with direct object)
- Modal verbs
- Reflexive verbs
- Most other verbs
Sein (specific verbs):
- Verbs of motion (gehen, fahren, fliegen)
- Verbs of change of state (werden, sterben)
- Verbs of being/remaining (sein, bleiben)
Verbs with Haben
Most German verbs use haben as auxiliary:
Haben (to have) - Present Tense
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ich | habe | I have |
| du | hast | you have |
| er/sie/es | hat | he/she/it has |
| wir | haben | we have |
| ihr | habt | you have |
| sie/Sie | haben | they/you have |
Ich habe ein Buch gelesen.
I have read a book. (transitive verb)
Du hast gut geschlafen.
You have slept well. (intransitive, no motion)
Er hat sich gewaschen.
He has washed himself. (reflexive verb)
Verbs with Sein
Specific verbs use sein as auxiliary:
Sein (to be) - Present Tense
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ich | bin | I am |
| du | bist | you are |
| er/sie/es | ist | he/she/it is |
| wir | sind | we are |
| ihr | seid | you are |
| sie/Sie | sind | they/you are |
Ich bin nach Berlin gefahren.
I have driven to Berlin. (motion)
Du bist müde geworden.
You have become tired. (change of state)
Sie ist zu Hause geblieben.
She has stayed at home. (remaining)
Past Participle Formation
The past participle (Partizip Perfekt) is formed differently for regular and irregular verbs:
Regular verbs: ge- + stem + -t
Irregular verbs: ge- + changed stem + -en
Separable verbs: prefix + ge- + stem + -t/-en
Inseparable verbs: no ge- prefix
Regular Past Participles
Regular verbs follow the pattern: ge- + stem + -t
Regular Past Participles
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| lernen | gelernt | learned |
| arbeiten | gearbeitet | worked |
| spielen | gespielt | played |
| kaufen | gekauft | bought |
| machen | gemacht | made/done |
| sagen | gesagt | said |
Ich habe Deutsch gelernt.
I have learned German.
Du hast hart gearbeitet.
You have worked hard.
Wir haben Fußball gespielt.
We have played football.
Irregular Past Participles
Irregular verbs follow the pattern: ge- + changed stem + -en
Irregular Past Participles
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| sprechen | gesprochen | spoken |
| gehen | gegangen | gone |
| sehen | gesehen | seen |
| kommen | gekommen | come |
| nehmen | genommen | taken |
| geben | gegeben | given |
Ich habe mit ihm gesprochen.
I have spoken with him.
Sie ist nach Hause gegangen.
She has gone home.
Wir haben den Film gesehen.
We have seen the movie.
Separable and Inseparable Verbs
Separable and inseparable prefix verbs have special past participle formation rules:
Separable Verbs
ge- goes between the prefix and the stem:
Separable Verb Past Participles
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| aufstehen | aufgestanden | gotten up |
| ankommen | angekommen | arrived |
| einkaufen | eingekauft | shopped |
| mitkommen | mitgekommen | come along |
| zurückgehen | zurückgegangen | gone back |
Ich bin früh aufgestanden.
I got up early.
Der Zug ist angekommen.
The train has arrived.
Wir haben eingekauft.
We have gone shopping.
Inseparable Verbs
No ge- prefix with inseparable verbs:
Inseparable Verb Past Participles
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| verstehen | verstanden | understood |
| bekommen | bekommen | received |
| erzählen | erzählt | told |
| besuchen | besucht | visited |
| entscheiden | entschieden | decided |
Ich habe alles verstanden.
I have understood everything.
Du hast einen Brief bekommen.
You have received a letter.
Sie hat uns besucht.
She has visited us.
Word Order in Perfect Tense
German word order in perfect tense follows specific rules:
Main clause: Subject + auxiliary verb + ... + past participle (at end)
Question: Auxiliary verb + subject + ... + past participle (at end)
Subordinate clause: Subject + ... + past participle + auxiliary verb (at end)
The past participle goes to the end of the clause in main clauses and questions.
Examples
Ich habe gestern einen Film gesehen.
I saw a movie yesterday. (main clause)
Hast du das Buch gelesen?
Have you read the book? (question)
Ich weiß, dass er gekommen ist.
I know that he has come. (subordinate clause)
Sie ist nach Berlin gefahren und hat dort gearbeitet.
She went to Berlin and worked there. (compound sentence)
Perfect Tense vs Other Past Tenses
Understanding when to use Perfekt vs other past tenses:
Perfekt (Perfect):
- Spoken German (most common)
- Conversational situations
- Completed actions with present relevance
Präteritum (Simple Past):
- Written German (stories, news)
- Formal situations
- Modal verbs (even in speech)
Plusquamperfekt (Past Perfect):
- Actions completed before another past action
- "Had done" constructions
Examples
Spoken: Ich habe das Buch gelesen.
Spoken: I have read the book. (Perfekt)
Written: Ich las das Buch.
Written: I read the book. (Präteritum)
Sequence: Nachdem ich das Buch gelesen hatte, ging ich schlafen.
Sequence: After I had read the book, I went to sleep. (Plusquamperfekt + Präteritum)