Past - Perfect (Leaving Cert German): Revision Notes
Past - Perfect
Overview
The Perfect tense is the most important way to talk about past events in German conversation. While German has three past tenses (Perfekt, Präteritum, Plusquamperfekt), the Perfect tense is used almost everywhere in spoken German when describing completed actions.
The Perfect tense describes actions that happened in the past but are connected to the present moment. It's similar to both the English simple past ("I worked") and present perfect ("I have worked").
Rules & formation
The Perfect tense follows a simple two-part structure:
Auxiliary verb (present tense) + Past participle Hilfsverb im Präsens + Partizip II
There are two auxiliary verbs in German: haben (to have) and sein (to be). The choice between them depends on the main verb.
When to use "sein" vs "haben"
Most verbs use haben as their auxiliary verb. However, sein is used in specific cases:
Use "sein" when the verb shows:
- Change of position: gehen (to go), kommen (to come), fahren (to drive)
- Crossing a boundary: sterben (to die), einschlafen (to fall asleep)
- Movement or change of state
Use "haben" for:
- All other verbs (the majority)
- All transitive verbs (verbs with a direct object)
Examples of "sein" usage:
- Ich bin gestern gekommen (I arrived yesterday) - movement
- Er ist gerade gegangen (He has just left) - movement
- Bist du schon eingeschlafen? (Did you fall asleep already?) - change of state
Almost all weak verbs take "haben" as their auxiliary verb, with rare exceptions like "reisen" (to travel) and "passieren" (to happen).
Past participle formation (Partizip II)
The past participle is the equivalent of English past participles (done, seen, worked). German has three main verb groups, each with different formation rules.
Weak verbs (regular verbs)
Weak verbs follow predictable patterns and don't change their stem vowel.
Formation rule:
- Take the verb stem (remove -en ending)
- Add "ge-" at the beginning
- Add "-t" at the end
Basic weak verb formation:
- machen → gemacht (made/done)
- fragen → gefragt (asked)
- arbeiten → gearbeitet (worked)
Exceptions:
Weak verbs ending in "-ieren": Only add "-t" (no "ge-" prefix)
- studieren → studiert (studied)
- fotografieren → fotografiert (photographed)
Inseparable weak verbs: Only add "-t" (no "ge-" prefix)
- besuchen → besucht (visited)
- zerstören → zerstört (destroyed)
- erholen → erholt (relaxed)
Separable weak verbs: Add "ge-" between the prefix and stem, then add "-t"
- einkaufen → eingekauft (shopped)
- vorstellen → vorgestellt (introduced/imagined)
- zuhören → zugehört (listened to)
Strong verbs (irregular verbs)
Strong verbs often change their stem vowel and follow less predictable patterns.
Formation rule:
- Take the verb stem
- Add "ge-" at the beginning
- Add "-en" at the end
- Often change the stem vowel completely
Examples with stem vowel changes:
- schreiben → geschrieben (written)
- singen → gesungen (sung)
- fliegen → geflogen (flown)
Examples with complete stem changes:
- sein → gewesen (been)
- gehen → gegangen (gone)
- essen → gegessen (eaten)
Separable strong verbs: Follow the same pattern as separable weak verbs but with "-en" ending and possible vowel changes
- einschlafen → eingeschlafen (fallen asleep)
- mitnehmen → mitgenommen (taken along)
Inseparable strong verbs: No "ge-" prefix, but keep "-en" ending and vowel changes
- verstehen → verstanden (understood)
- bekommen → bekommen (received/got)
Mixed verbs
Mixed verbs combine features of both weak and strong verbs. There are only eight of them, making them easier to memorise.
Formation: They take the weak verb ending "-t" but change their stem like strong verbs.
Mixed verb examples:
- denken → gedacht (thought)
- kennen → gekannt (known)
- bringen → gebracht (brought)
Word order
German word order for the Perfect tense follows specific rules depending on sentence type.
Statements
Word order rule for statements:
- Put the auxiliary verb after the subject (second position)
- Put the past participle at the end of the sentence
Statement examples:
- Ich habe sie gesehen. (I saw her / I have seen her)
- Er hat ihr das Buch gebracht. (He brought her the book)
Questions
Word order rule for questions:
- Put the auxiliary verb at the beginning
- Put the past participle at the end
Question examples:
- Hast du sie gesehen? (Did you see her?)
- Bist du in Cagayan gewesen? (Have you been in Cagayan?)
Table of key forms
Auxiliary verb conjugation
| Pronoun | haben | sein |
|---|---|---|
| ich | habe | bin |
| du | hast | bist |
| er/sie/es | hat | ist |
| wir | haben | sind |
| ihr | habt | seid |
| sie/Sie | haben | sind |
Sample weak verbs
| Infinitive | Past Participle | English |
|---|---|---|
| machen | gemacht | made/done |
| arbeiten | gearbeitet | worked |
| kaufen | gekauft | bought |
| wohnen | gewohnt | lived |
| spielen | gespielt | played |
Sample strong verbs
| Infinitive | Past Participle | English |
|---|---|---|
| gehen | gegangen | gone |
| kommen | gekommen | come |
| essen | gegessen | eaten |
| trinken | getrunken | drunk |
| fahren | gefahren | driven/travelled |
Sample mixed verbs
| Infinitive | Past Participle | English |
|---|---|---|
| denken | gedacht | thought |
| bringen | gebracht | brought |
| kennen | gekannt | known |
Example sentences
With "haben":
-
Ich habe heute viel gearbeitet. (I worked a lot today)
The Perfect tense describes a completed action with relevance to now. -
Hast du sie gesehen? (Did you see her?)
A question about a past event, using "haben" because "sehen" doesn't show movement or change of state.
With "sein":
-
Ich bin bei meiner Freundin gewesen. (I have been at my girlfriend's place)
Uses "sein" because "sein" itself requires "sein" as auxiliary. -
Er ist gerade gekommen. (He has just arrived)
Uses "sein" because "kommen" shows movement/change of position.
Common mistakes & tips
Mistake 1: Using the wrong auxiliary verb
- Incorrect: Ich haben gegangen
- Correct: Ich bin gegangen (I went/have gone)
- Tip: Remember that movement verbs usually take "sein"
Mistake 2: Wrong past participle formation
- Incorrect: gemachet instead of gemacht
- Tip: Weak verbs add "-t", strong verbs add "-en"
Mistake 3: Forgetting "ge-" prefix
- Incorrect: Ich habe macht instead of Ich habe gemacht
- Tip: Most verbs need "ge-" except "-ieren" verbs and inseparable verbs
Mistake 4: Wrong word order
- Incorrect: Ich gemacht habe es
- Correct: Ich habe es gemacht (I made/did it)
- Tip: Auxiliary verb in second position, past participle at the end
Mistake 5: Confusing Perfect with Present Perfect Don't translate German Perfect directly to English Present Perfect. German "Ich habe gearbeitet" can mean both "I worked" and "I have worked" depending on context.
Key Points to Remember:
- The Perfect tense is the most common way to talk about the past in spoken German
- Formation: auxiliary verb (haben/sein) + past participle
- Most verbs use "haben"; "sein" is for movement and change of state
- Weak verbs: ge- + stem + t, Strong verbs: ge- + (changed) stem + en
- Word order: auxiliary verb second, past participle last in statements