Present perfect (Perfekt) in German
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The present perfect can either be used to refer to a completed action in the past, or to explain actions that begun in the past, but are not finished yet. The present perfect (Perfekt) is the past tense that is most often used to describe events from the past in spoken language, instead of the simple past (Präteritum).
Example of the use of the perfect:
Explanation of the example:
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There are some marker words, that are often used in combination with the present perfect. See some of them in the table below.
Marker word | Translation |
---|---|
gestern | yesterday |
vor einer Woche/einer Minute/zehn Tagen | one week/one minute/ten days ago |
heute früh/heute Nachmittag | this morning/this afternoon |
gestern früh/ gestern Nachmittag | yesterday morning/yesterday afternoon |
schon | already |
gerade | just |
For example:
To form the present perfect in German, we use the present tense of one of the auxiliaries sein or haben in combination with the participle II of the main verb. Click on the link, if you need more information on how to built the participle II. So, the general structure is made by using the prefix 'ge-':
In the table below, you can see how the auxiliaries are declined in the right way.
Subject | sein | haben |
---|---|---|
ich | bin | habe |
du | bist | hast |
er/ sie/ es | ist | hat |
wir | sind | haben |
ihr | seid | habt |
sie/Sie | sind | haben |
The auxiliaries you find above are conjugated irregularly. Try to keep them in your mind and learn them by heart.
The typical construction of the past participle of a weak verb, looks le following way:
Infinitive of the verb | Verb stem | Ending | Participle |
---|---|---|---|
leben (to live) | leb- | -t | gelebt |
lachen (to laugh) | lach- | -t | gelacht |
fragen (to ask) | frag- | -t | gefragt |
arbeiten (to work) | arbeit- | -et | gearbeitet |
öffnen (to open up) | öffne- | -et | geöffnet |
atmen (to breath) | atm- | -et | geatmet |
Here are some example sentences:
The past participle of strong verbs is formed by adding the perfix ge- and the ending -en:
ge- + infinitive sten + -en
Infinitive of the verb | Verb stem | Ending | Participle |
---|---|---|---|
singen (to sing) | sing- | -en | gesungen |
sprechen (to speak) | sprech- | -en | gesprochen |
brechen (to break) | brech- | -en | gebrochen |
nehmen (to take) | nehm- | -en | genommen |
lesen (to read) | les- | -en | gelesen |
sehen (to see) | seh- | -en | gesehen |
Find some example sentences below:
You should use the auxiliary verb sein in combination with the participle, if:
Usage | Examples |
the verb in the sentence has a direct object | Stefanie hat ihr Zimmer aufgeräumt. (Stefanie cleaned up her room.) |
the verb in the sentence has no direct object | Stefanie hat aufgeräumt. (She cleaned up.) |
the sentence contains of a reflexive verb | Stefanie hat sich verändert. (Stefanie has changed.) |
You should use the auxiliary verb haben and the participle to use the present perfect, if:
Usage | Examples |
the sentence contains of a verb of movement (without direct object), e.g. gehen, laufen, rennen, etc. | Wir sind in seinen Garten gegangen. (We went to his garden.) |
the verbs describes changed in the situation, e.g. einschlafen, aufwachen, etc. | Sie ist aus ihren Träumen aufgewacht. (She woke up from her dreams.) |
the sentence contains of bleiben, sein, werden | Es ist ihm gelungen. (He has succeeded.) |
Don't forget to try out free exercises, to test your knowledge about the present perfect in German.
Fill in the missing conjugation of the verb. (sein in present tense + participle II)
1. fallen (to fall)
Ich auf den Boden .
Du auf den Boden
Sie auf den Boden .
Wir auf den Boden .
Ihr auf den Boden .
Sie auf den Boden .
2. kommen (to come)
Ich nach Hause .
Du nach Hause
Mara nach Hause .
Wir nach Hause .
Ihr nach Hause .
Sie nach Hause .
3. Wir da . (sein)
4. ihr noch lange ? (bleiben)
5. Es kalt . (werden)
Fill in the missing conjugation of the verb. Let's go!
Recap of the basic rules
Sein and participle II
We use the auxiliary verb sein:
Haben and participle II
We use the auxiliary verb haben:
Der Bären aus dem Winterschlaf . (erwachen / to wake up)
Sie die Spülmaschine . (ausräumen / to remove)
Du mit deiner Schwester . (spielen / to play)
Wir zur Schule . (radeln / to go by bike)
Du uns einen Lohn . (versprechen / to promise)
Die Klausur uns . (gelingen / to succeed)
Wir am Hafen . (sein / to be)
Ich die Pflanzen . (gießen / to water)
Ihr das Chaos . (anrichten / to cause chaos)
Sie sich im Fitnessstudio . (anmelden / to sign up)
Fill in the missing conjugation of the verb. (sein in present tense + participle II)
1. fallen (to fall)
Ich auf den Boden .
Du auf den Boden
Sie auf den Boden .
Wir auf den Boden .
Ihr auf den Boden .
Sie auf den Boden .
2. kommen (to come)
Ich nach Hause .
Du nach Hause
Mara nach Hause .
Wir nach Hause .
Ihr nach Hause .
Sie nach Hause .
3. Wir da . (sein)
4. ihr noch lange ? (bleiben)
5. Es kalt . (werden)
Fill in the missing conjugation of the verb. Let's go!
Recap of the basic rules
Sein and participle II
We use the auxiliary verb sein:
Haben and participle II
We use the auxiliary verb haben:
Der Bären aus dem Winterschlaf . (erwachen / to wake up)
Sie die Spülmaschine . (ausräumen / to remove)
Du mit deiner Schwester . (spielen / to play)
Wir zur Schule . (radeln / to go by bike)
Du uns einen Lohn . (versprechen / to promise)
Die Klausur uns . (gelingen / to succeed)
Wir am Hafen . (sein / to be)
Ich die Pflanzen . (gießen / to water)
Ihr das Chaos . (anrichten / to cause chaos)
Sie sich im Fitnessstudio . (anmelden / to sign up)
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Hallo :) My name is Mihaela and I was born in Switzerland. I have a Bachleor and Master degree as German teacher and more then 5 years experience.
I love languages, because of that I speak also Croatian and English. :)
- ABOUT THE CLASS -
I offer German language lessons for A1, A2, B1, B2 level and they include everything you need: grammar, speaking, writing, pronunciation and vocabulary.
This is ideal for students who want actively participate and speak more, learn new words and exercise the grammar. Or we can learn whatever you need, because I will always adapt to your needs. :)
I will support you during your learning experience and adapt to your learning tempo.
All learning materials and exercises are included and will be provided during the lesson.
The learning material is from various books (Schritte International, Menschen, Sicher im Alltag und Beruf, Begegnungen,...).
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As always, her lessons are great! She takes time to prepare in advance the lesson and pesonalised material for your needs.
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I’ve started teaching Romanian as a foreign language in 2010 at the Faculty of Letters in Cluj-Napoca, Transylvania, and my teaching approach is really friendly and focused on all your needs. I have worked with people from all over the world and I know very well how to make the process of learning a language a very pleasant experience.
I speak several languages (English, German, French, Spanish) and I keep learning some (Polish and Portuguese) so I am aware of how fun and also frustrating (at times) the process can be.
For me, learning a language is like falling in love, you get to discover details and awesome facts about one culture and mentality.
If you want to learn Romanian, English or German, I will make sure you will enjoy it!
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Hallo :) My name is Mihaela and I was born in Switzerland. I have a Bachleor and Master degree as German teacher and more then 5 years experience.
I love languages, because of that I speak also Croatian and English. :)
- ABOUT THE CLASS -
I offer German language lessons for A1, A2, B1, B2 level and they include everything you need: grammar, speaking, writing, pronunciation and vocabulary.
This is ideal for students who want actively participate and speak more, learn new words and exercise the grammar. Or we can learn whatever you need, because I will always adapt to your needs. :)
I will support you during your learning experience and adapt to your learning tempo.
All learning materials and exercises are included and will be provided during the lesson.
The learning material is from various books (Schritte International, Menschen, Sicher im Alltag und Beruf, Begegnungen,...).
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For myself I learned Italian three years ago with this method so I also know what it is like to learn a language and I can help you with my teaching to learn German that way.
I can not wait to start!
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Thank you, Josè !! Congratulations on passing the exam!
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Hallo :) My name is Mihaela and I was born in Switzerland. I have a Bachleor and Master degree as German teacher and more then 5 years experience.
I love languages, because of that I speak also Croatian and English. :)
- ABOUT THE CLASS -
I offer German language lessons for A1, A2, B1, B2 level and they include everything you need: grammar, speaking, writing, pronunciation and vocabulary.
This is ideal for students who want actively participate and speak more, learn new words and exercise the grammar. Or we can learn whatever you need, because I will always adapt to your needs. :)
I will support you during your learning experience and adapt to your learning tempo.
All learning materials and exercises are included and will be provided during the lesson.
The learning material is from various books (Schritte International, Menschen, Sicher im Alltag und Beruf, Begegnungen,...).
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As always, her lessons are great! She takes time to prepare in advance the lesson and pesonalised material for your needs.
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I happen to be a safety and security specialist for a major oil and gas exploration company and have also done my one year TEFL Diploma. I have been teaching English to students online as well as in classrooms primarily out of passion and love for teaching English and helping the students overcome their difficulties and lack of confidence/ motivation towards using English in their every day lives. My average rating happens to be 4.99/5 with 5 star reviews on English teaching websites such as www.engoo.com and https://eikaiwa.dmm.com/.
Despite being a non native English speaker; I happen to have native level proficiency in aspects of English language and am very passionate about helping students achieve their goals and aspirations in life via use of exclusive and result orientated lesson that have allowed me to achieve my level of skills in English Language. Lastly, owing to my diversified professional back ground, I also provide consultation services with regards to motivation and self improvement and help individuals gain self confidence and to think objectively.
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This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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Hi, I am Ana! I am a professional language teacher! If you want to learn Romanian, English or German in an easy, fun and efficient way, you’ve done the first step. I simply love teaching and I’m looking forward to sharing my enthusiasm for languages with you. I have experience in learning foreign languages, so I understand the challenge.
I’ve started teaching Romanian as a foreign language in 2010 at the Faculty of Letters in Cluj-Napoca, Transylvania, and my teaching approach is really friendly and focused on all your needs. I have worked with people from all over the world and I know very well how to make the process of learning a language a very pleasant experience.
I speak several languages (English, German, French, Spanish) and I keep learning some (Polish and Portuguese) so I am aware of how fun and also frustrating (at times) the process can be.
For me, learning a language is like falling in love, you get to discover details and awesome facts about one culture and mentality.
If you want to learn Romanian, English or German, I will make sure you will enjoy it!
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Everything about Anamaria is at 99.9%, from timeliness, punctuality, very concise and relevant study material and she has an excellent teaching methodology.
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For me, learning German was a nightmare and I was certain that I will never learn the language. Sara sure did prove me wrong. With her, learning German became fun. I always wait with excitement for our next session. She drastically imporved my skills in a few months and most importantly, I made a good friend along the way. Ich kann mit Sicherheit sagen, dass Sara die Beste ist
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