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Vergangenheit im Deutschen

B1

In German, there are several past tenses. The perfect tense is the most common form in spoken German.

1. Perfect Tense

Perfect = haben/sein + past participle. Used for completed actions.

✍️Examples:

Ich habe gespielt.→I played / I have played.
Sie hat gearbeitet.→She worked / She has worked.
Wir sind gekommen.→We came / We have come.(with sein)
Er ist gegangen.→He went / He has gone.(with sein)

2. Simple Past

Used mainly in written texts. Common with "sein" and "haben".

✍️Examples:

Ich war müde.→I was tired.(sein)
Sie hatte Zeit.→She had time.(haben)
Er spielte Fußball.→He played football.(written)