Das Perfekt The 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 have You (fam. sing) have He has She has It has We have You (fam. pl.) have They have You (polite) have

The Past Participle

To make the Past Participle 1. Take the INFINITIVE OF THE VERB (i.e. the form in the dictionary) e.g. spielen = to play, basteln = to do DIY 2. Put a GE on the front: spielen GEspielen basteln GEbasteln 3. Remove the final en or n and add a T GEspielen GEspielT GEbasteln 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 gekocht Ich habe gelernt Ich habe gewohnt Ich habe gemalt Ich 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 rain GEregnen 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.