This lesson explains how to use past time expressions like "gestern" and "plötzlich" with the Perfekt and Präteritum. You'll learn key words such as "gestern" (yesterday), "letzte Woche" (last week), and "plötzlich" (suddenly) to describe past events accurately.
- There are no 100% fixed rules for choosing the tense with specific time expressions, but this guideline helps in most cases.
| Zeitangabe (time indication) | Zeit (time) | Beispiel (Example) |
|---|---|---|
| Gestern (Yesterday) | Perfekt (Present perfect) | Gestern habe ich die Prüfung bestanden. (Yesterday I passed the exam.) |
| Letzte Woche (Last week) | Perfekt (Present perfect) | Letzte Woche habe ich mein Studium beendet. (Last week I finished my studies.) |
| Letzten Monat (Last month) | Perfekt (Present perfect) | Letzten Monat habe ich die Einschreibung gemacht. (Last month I completed the enrolment.) |
| Vor kurzem (Recently) | Perfekt (Present perfect) | Vor kurzem habe ich in der Bibliothek gelernt. (I have recently studied in the library.) |
| Zuvor (Previously) | Präteritum (Simple past) | Zuvor lebte er in Deutschland. (He previously lived in Germany.) |
| Plötzlich (Suddenly) | Präteritum (Simple past) | Plötzlich begann der Kurs. (Suddenly the course began.) |
Exercise 1: Zeitangaben mit Vergangenheitszeiten: „gestern" vs. „plötzlich"
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
gemacht, habe, erledigt, bestanden, gelernt, begann, beendet, lebte, hat
1.
Machen:
Letzten Monat ... ich die Einschreibung ....
(Letzten Monat habe ich die Einschreibung gemacht.)
2.
Beenden:
Letzte Woche ... sie ihr Praktikum ....
(Letzte Woche hat sie ihr Praktikum beendet.)
3.
Anfangen:
Plötzlich ... der Kurs,
(Plötzlich begann der Kurs,)
4.
Beenden:
Letzte Woche ... ich mein Studium ....
(Letzte Woche habe ich mein Studium beendet.)
5.
Lernen:
Oft ... ich in der Bibliothek ....
(Oft habe ich in der Bibliothek gelernt.)
6.
Bestehen:
Gestern ... ich die Prüfung ....
(Gestern habe ich die Prüfung bestanden.)
7.
Erledigen:
Während des Praktikums ... ich viele Aufgaben ....
(Während des Praktikums habe ich viele Aufgaben erledigt.)
8.
Leben:
Zuvor ... er in Deutschland.
(Zuvor lebte er in Deutschland.)
Exercise 2: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the sentence that is grammatically correct and uses an appropriate time expression with a past tense (perfect or simple past).
1.
The verb at the end of the sentence is incorrectly conjugated; the correct form would be the past participle "submitted."
The simple past is possible here, but with time expressions like "last week," the perfect tense is usually used in spoken German.
2.
Here the word order is incorrect, and the tense is wrong (present instead of perfect with a time expression).
Although the verb looks correct, this option is marked as false here for variation; the correct form is the same as above.
3.
The sentence contains two verbs without a correct connection; this is grammatically incorrect.
"Previously" is mostly used with the simple past in German because the perfect sounds unnatural in this context.
4.
The simple past sounds unnatural with "recently"; in spoken language, the perfect tense is used here.
Here the verb is in the present tense, although the time expression describes an action in the past.
