Das Perfekt – Introduction to the Conversational Past Tense
Das Perfekt – Usage
In order to describe actions that happened in the past, you can use the so-called Perfekt tense, which is used in conversations or informal writing.
The Perfekt tense is sometimes also called Present Perfect, but this name is misleading for American learners, since the English present perfect (Wolfgang has not eaten any breakfast today) has a slightly different meaning from the basic past tense (Wolfgang did not eat any breakfast today). In the first case, he still has hope … in the second one, a completed situation (opportunity lost) in the past is simply described. In German the Perfekt, for the most part, has the same meaning as the Simple Past:
| Wolfgang hat heute Frühstück gegessen. | = | Wolfgang aß heute Frühstück. |
| Wolfgang ate breakfast today. |
The Perfekt and the Simple Past forms are used in different types of interactions (informal/casual vs. formal). Sometimes the distinction is made between oral versus written use, but that is not quite accurate, because some types of writing are less formal (e.g., E-mail, a weblog) than some types of speaking (e.g., a formal lecture, accepting your Nobel prize, etc.). It is better to remember that the Perfekt is used for informal interaction, and Simple Past is more formal.
You can use any verb with the present perfect, but in High German (a type of “standard” German) some verbs are preferred in the simple past (and you might sound overly casual if you use these verbs with the Perfekt). The following verbs are commonly used in the Simple Past in informal or casual language:
Certain dialects (e.g., Bavarian or Swiss or Austrian dialects), in contrast, prefer the Perfekt over the simple past, and younger speakers tend to emphasize the Perfekt as well.
| suggested (simple past tense) | colloquial/regional (perfect tense) | english |
| Wolfgang war traurig; er hatte richtig Hunger. | Wolfgang ist traurig gewesen; er hat richtig Hunger gehabt. | Wolfgang was sad; he was really hungry. |
| Monika hatte kein Mitleid. | Monika hat kein Mitleid gehabt. | Monika had no sympathy. |
Perfekt forms and auxiliary (helping) verbs
The Perfekt tense is formed by using the participle form of a verb, plus either haben or sein as a helping verb (also called auxiliary verbs). Haben is used as a helping verb when the main verb has or can have a direct object.
| Meine Oma und ich haben Kekse gebacken. | My grandma and I baked cookies. |
| Wir haben sie zur “Bake Sale” gebracht. | We brought them to the bake sale. |
Cookies are the direct objects of the verb “to bake” in the first sentence, and them is the direct object of the verb “to bring” in the second sentence.
Sein is used as a helping verb when the main verb 1. expresses a change of state in one’s physical or mental state, 2. expresses a change in one’s physical location and 3. in a few exceptions even when the verb doesn’t take an object, and it doesn’t describe change: bleiben (to stay), sein (to be), passieren (to happen).
| Ich bin in Ohnmacht gefallen. Ich bin erst vier Stunden später wieder aufgewacht. | I fainted. I reawakened only after about four hours. |
A few useful verbs with haben/sein
| haben |  |
sein | ||
| bringen (gebracht) | bring | aufspringen (aufgesprungen) | jump up | |
| essen (gegessen) | eat | aufstehen (aufgestanden) | wake up | |
| finden (gefunden) | find | bleiben (geblieben) | stay | |
| geben (gegeben) | give | einschlafen (eingeschlafen) | fall asleep | |
| lernen (gelernt) | learn | fahren (gefahren) | drive, go | |
| lesen (gelesen) | read | fliegen (geflogen) | fly | |
| sehen (gesehen) | see | gehen (gegangen) | go | |
| stehen (gestanden) | stand | kommen (gekommen) | come | |
| tragen (getragen) | write | laufen (gelaufen) | go, run | |
| trinken (getrunken) | drink | werden (geworden) | become | |
