A1 · 7.1 · das Perfekt
Talking about the past: the German Perfekt
In conversation, Germans talk about the past with haben or sein + past participle. The participle goes to the end.
The bracket again
| Position 2 | middle … | End | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ich | habe | gestern Pizza | gegessen. |
| Joy | hat | acht Stunden | gearbeitet. |
| Wir | sind | nach Dresden | gefahren. |
| Was | hast | du am Wochenende | gemacht? |
I ate pizza yesterday · Joy worked for eight hours · We went to Dresden · What did you do at the weekend?
One German form, many English ones
Ich habe gekocht.I cooked. · I have cooked. · I was cooking.
Good to know 1
1In speech you can use the Perfekt for almost every past event. Only sein, haben and the modal verbs prefer a different past form (last topic of this unit).
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Cheat sheet: Talking about the past