Learn how to form the Perfekt tense in German using the auxiliary verbs „sein“ (to be) and „haben“ (to have), with key verbs like gehen (bin gegangen) and bestellen (habe bestellt) illustrating movement and action.
- The perfect tense always consists of two parts: the auxiliary verb sein or haben in the present tense and the past participle of the main verb.
- The auxiliary verb always occupies the second position, the past participle II is at the end of the sentence.
- Haben is used with most verbs, sein is used with verbs of movement or change of state.
| Person (Person) | Hilfsverb (sein) (auxiliary verb (to be)) z.B. gehen (e.g. to go) | Partizip II (past participle) | Hilfsverb (haben) (auxiliary verb (haben)) z.B. bestellen (e.g. to order) | Partizip II (past participle) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ich | bin (am) | gegangen (gone) Beispiel: Ich bin zum Restaurant gegangen. (Example: I have gone to the restaurant.) | habe (have) | bestellt (ordered) Beispiel: Ich habe Essen bestellt. (Example: I have ordered food.) |
| Du | bist (are) | hast (have) | ||
| Er/sie/es | ist (Person) | hat (Person) | ||
| Wir | sind (Person Auxiliary verb (sein) e.g., gehen Participle II Auxiliary verb (haben) e.g., bestellen Participle II I am gone have ordered Example: I have gone to the restaurant. Example: I have ordered food. You are have He/she/it is has We are have You (plural) are have They are have) | haben (have) | ||
| Ihr | seid (are) | habt (have) | ||
| Sie | sind (Person Auxiliary verb (sein) e.g., gehen Participle II Auxiliary verb (haben) e.g., bestellen Participle II I am gone have ordered Example: I have gone to the restaurant. Example: I have ordered food. You are have He/she/it is has We are have You (plural) are have They are have) | haben (have) |
Exceptions!
- Some verbs of motion take haben when they are connected with an object: Er hat das Fahrrad gefahren (Akkusativobjekt!)
- Some verbs can have both, depending on the meaning: Ich habe geschlafen (state) -> Ich bin eingeschlafen (change of state)
Exercise 1: Das Perfekt: Bildung mit „sein“ und „haben“
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
gefahren, haben, gegangen, bestellt, bist, hast, ist, gegessen, getrunken, habe, habt, gekommen
Exercise 2: Dialogue completion
Instruction: Complete the dialogue with the correct solution
1. Ich habe gestern ein neues Buch _______.
( I bought a new book ______ yesterday.)2. Wir sind letzte Woche nach Berlin _______.
( We went to Berlin last week ______.)3. Er hat die Speisekarte _______.
( He read the menu ______.)4. Sie hat das Essen _______.
( She ordered the food ______.)5. Ich bin heute früh _______.
( I got up early today ______.)6. Wir haben viel Arbeit _______.
( We did a lot of work ______.)
