Past (Perfect) Tense German Verbs

Das PerfektThe Past (Perfect) Tense

This is used to describe what has happened in the PAST

Examples in English

• I have eaten pizza• I have watched Big Brother on the TV• I have surfed the net• I have had a shower• I have listened to the Radio One

Roadshow• I have fed my cat• I have invited my friends to a party

In English we often omit the “have”:

• I saw Spiderman at the cinema• I went to the disco last night• I went roller-skating at the weekend• I helped my Dad with the barbeque• I went bowling with the family• I ate a Big Mac as a treat

IN GERMAN the “have” is always included.

There are two ingredients needed for the Past Tense:

• I have eaten pizza• I have surfed the net

The “have” is called the:AUXILIARY VERB

The “eaten”, “surfed” are called the: PAST PARTICIPLES i.e. the Past forms of the verbs to eat, to surf

Auxiliary Verb “haben”

• ich habe• du hast• er hat• sie hat• es hat• wir haben• ihr habt• sie haben• Sie haben

I haveYou (fam. sing) haveHe hasShe hasIt hasWe haveYou (fam. pl.) haveThey haveYou (polite) have

The Past Participle

To make the Past Participle1. Take the INFINITIVE OF THE VERB(i.e. the form in the dictionary)e.g. spielen = to play, basteln = to do DIY2. Put a “GE” on the front:

spielen – GEspielenbasteln – GEbasteln

3. Remove the final “en” or “n” and add a “T”GEspielen – GEspielTGEbasteln – GEbastelT

Make PAST PARTICIPLES from:

tanzen – GEtanzen – GEtanzT = danced

1. kochen = to cook

Make PAST PARTICIPLES from:

tanzen – GEtanzen – GEtanzT = danced

1. kochen = to cook

kochen – GEkochen – GEkochT = cooked

Make Past Participles from:

Tanzen – GEtanzen – GEtanzT = danced

2. malen = to paint

Make Past Participles from:

Tanzen – GEtanzen – GEtanzT = danced

2. malen – GEmalen – GEmalT = painted

Make Past Participles from:

Tanzen – GEtanzen – GEtanzT = danced

3. lernen = to learn

Make Past Participles from:

Tanzen – GEtanzen – GEtanzT = danced

3. lernen – GElernen – GElernT = learnt

Make Past Participles from:

Tanzen – GEtanzen – GEtanzT = danced

4. wohnen = to live

Make Past Participles from:

Tanzen – GEtanzen – GEtanzT = danced

4. wohnen – GEwohnen – GEwohnT - lived

Make Past Participles from:

Tanzen – GEtanzen – GEtanzT = danced

5. kaufen = to buy

Make Past Participles from:

Tanzen – GEtanzen – GEtanzT = danced

5. kaufen – GEkaufen – GEkaufT = bought

AUXILIARY VERB + PAST PARTICIPLE

=PERFECT TENSE

Ich habe gekochtIch habe gelerntIch habe gewohntIch habe gemaltIch habe gekauft

ACHTUNG!

• Verbs ending in “ten”, “nen” or “den” add an ET to the end of the PAST PARTICIPLE in order to make pronunciation easier:

arbeiten = to work

GEarbeiten – GEarbeitET – worked

ACHTUNG!

• Verbs ending in “ten”, “nen” or “den” add an ET to the end of the PAST PARTICIPLE in order to make pronunciation easier:

regnen = to rainGEregnen – GEregnET – rained

ACHTUNG!

• Verbs ending in “ten”, “nen” or “den” add an ET to the end of the PAST PARTICIPLE in order to make pronunciation easier:

baden = to have a bath

GEbaden – GEbadET – had a bath

ACHTUNG

• Verbs beginning with:

BE, EMPF, ENT, ER, MISS, VER, ZER

DO NOT add a GE to front of the

PAST PARTICIPLE

NO GE ON PAST PARTICIPLE

•besuchen = to visit

Ich habe besucht

I have visited

NO GE ON PAST PARTICIPLE

•bezahlen = to pay

Ich habe bezahlt

I have paid

NO GE ON PAST PARTICIPLE

•verkaufen = to sell

Ich habe verkauft

I have sold

NO GE ON PAST PARTICIPLE

Also verbs ending in “ieren” do not add a “GE” to the front of the past participle:

reparieren = to repair

Ich habe repariert.

NO GE ON PAST PARTICIPLE

Also verbs ending in “ieren” do not add a “GE” to the front of the past participle:

telefonieren = to telphone

Ich habe telefoniert.

WEAK (REGULAR) VERBS

• Verbs which make their PAST PARTICIPLE by adding a GE to the front of the verb and a T to the end are called

WEAK VERBS or REGULAR VERBS (they behave exactly according to a pattern)

e.g. Ich habe gespielt – I have played

WEAK (REGULAR) VERBS

• Even verbs which DO NOT add a GE to the front of the PAST PARTICIPLE but which do end in T are called WEAK or REGULAR:

• E.g. Ich habe besucht – I have visited

Ich habe mich rasiert – I have had a shave

Have you mastered it?

• Now have a go at the Perfect Tense Weak Verb worksheet.

RICHTIG ODER FALSCH ?

• A:

• 1. Ich habe gefragt.

• 2. Ich habe gehoert.

• 3. Ich habe gesagt.

• 4. Ich habe gespart.

RICHTIG ODER FALSCH ?

• A:

• 5. Ich habe gelacht.

• 6. Ich habe gesammelt.

• 7. Ich habe getraeumt.

• 8. Ich habe gemachtt.

RICHTIG ODER FALSCH ?

• B:

• 9. Ich habe geantwortet.

• 10. Ich habe geoeffnet.

• 11. Ich habe gearbeitet.

• 12. Ich habe gewartet.

RICHTIG ODER FALSCH ?

• C:

• 13. Ich habe bestellt.

• 14. Ich habe telefoniert.

• 15. Ich habe vorbereitet.

• 16. Ich habe repariert

How do I know if a verb is weak?

• Look up the verb “spielen” in the Malvern Guide dictionary.

• What information is given to you?

WEAK (REGULAR) VERBS

• spielen v reg. to play

This means that the verb is Weak or Regular.