German Past Tenses Made Simple: Perfekt vs. Präteritum Explained

Learning to speak about the past in German can feel confusing and intimidating. Two tenses – Perfekt and Präteritum – seem to do the same thing, but native speakers use them very differently. If you've ever wondered which one to use (and why your textbook says one thing, but real Germans say another), you're not alone.

This guide will make it simple. There is also a bonus cheat list of 50 most frequent verbs with all forms at the end of the article that you can download.

TL;DR: What’s the Difference Between Perfekt and Präteritum?

Perfekt is the go-to tense in spoken German, used in conversations, personal stories, and everyday situations. It's built with haben or sein (present tense) + the Partizip II (past participle). Think of it as the German version of "have done."

• Ich habe gegessen. (I have eaten.)
• Wir sind nach Hause gegangen. (We went home.)

Präteritum is mainly used in written German like books, articles, and news. It uses simple past verb forms and is closer to English's "did."

• Ich aß. (I ate.)
• Er ging nach Hause. (He went home.)

Quick Rule:

• Use Perfekt when speaking.
• Use Präteritum when writing.

Exceptions: Even in speech, some verbs like sein, haben, and modal verbs (können, müssen, etc.) often appear in Präteritum:

• Ich war müde. (I was tired.)
• Wir mussten gehen. (We had to go.)

What is the Perfekt Tense? (Present Perfect in German)

Perfekt is the tense most German speakers use when talking about past events in everyday conversation. Whether you’re describing what you did yesterday, what you’ve just finished, or sharing a personal story — Perfekt is usually the right choice.

How to Form Perfekt

Perfekt uses a helping verb (either haben or sein) in the present tense, plus the Partizip II (past participle) of the main verb.

Structure: haben/sein (present) + Partizip II

Examples:

• Ich habe Deutsch gelernt. (I have learned German.)
• Er ist nach Hause gegangen. (He went home.)

Haben vs. Sein

Most verbs use haben, but verbs that indicate movement or change of state use sein.

Use sein with:

• Movement: gehen, fahren, laufen, kommen (go, drive, run, come)
  • Ich bin nach Hause gegangen. (I went home.)
  • Sie ist schnell gelaufen. (She ran quickly.)
• Change of state: aufwachen, sterben (wake up, die)
  • Er ist früh aufgewacht. (He woke up early.)
  • Die Pflanze ist gestorben. (The plant died.)

Use haben with:

• All other verbs, especially those with direct objects: lesen, essen, spielen (read, eat, play)
  • Ich habe ein Buch gelesen. (I read a book.)
  • Wir haben Pizza gegessen. (We ate pizza.)
  • Sie haben Fußball gespielt. (They played soccer.)

Forming Partizip II

• Regular verbs: ge- + stem + -t
  • kaufen → gekauft
• Irregular verbs: ge- + stem (often changed) + -en
  • sehen → gesehen
• Mixed verbs: ge- + irregular stem + -t
  • bringen → gebracht

Note:

• Verbs with inseparable prefixes (be-, ver-, er-, etc.) don’t add ge-: bezahlen → bezahlt
• Verbs ending in -ieren also skip "ge-": studieren → studiert

What is the Präteritum Tense? (Simple Past in German)

Präteritum is the tense of choice for written German. It's used in newspapers, novels, reports, and formal writing. While Perfekt dominates in conversation, Präteritum shines in storytelling and chronological descriptions.

How to Form Präteritum

The Präteritum is formed by changing the verb stem and adding specific past tense endings.

Structure: Verb stem + past tense ending

For regular (weak) verbs, use:

• -te, -test, -te, -ten, -tet, -ten
• Example: spielen → ich spielte, du spieltest, er spielte, wir spielten...

For irregular (strong) verbs, the stem changes and endings vary:

• gehen → ich ging, du gingst, er ging...
• sehen → ich sah, du sahst, er sah...

Examples:

• Ich spielte Tennis. (I played tennis.)
• Sie las ein Buch. (She read a book.)
• Wir waren müde. (We were tired.)

Common Verbs in Präteritum

Some verbs appear in Präteritum even in spoken German due to how common and short they are:

• sein → war
• haben → hatte
• Modal verbs: konnte, musste, wollte, durfte...

These forms are often easier to say and more familiar to native speakers in fast-paced conversation.

Tip: Learn the Präteritum forms of these high-frequency verbs by heart. You’ll hear and use them a lot!

Perfekt vs. Präteritum: When to Use Each?

Knowing how to form these tenses is just half the battle. The real challenge is knowing when to use Perfekt and when to use Präteritum. Here's the golden rule:

Use Perfekt when speaking. Use Präteritum when writing.

Spoken German: Perfekt Dominates

Perfekt is used in almost all informal and spoken contexts:

• Ich habe heute Morgen Kaffee getrunken. (I drank coffee this morning.)
• Wir sind gestern ins Kino gegangen. (We went to the cinema yesterday.)

Written German: Präteritum Rules

Präteritum appears in:

• Books and novels
• News articles
• Reports or formal narratives

Examples:

• Er öffnete die Tür und trat ein. (He opened the door and stepped inside.)
• Die Polizei fand Beweise im Auto. (The police found evidence in the car.)

Exceptions in Spoken German

Even in casual conversation, Präteritum is common for:

• sein → war: Ich war gestern zu Hause. (I was home yesterday.)
• haben → hatte: Er hatte keine Zeit. (He didn’t have time.)
• Modal verbs: musste, konnte, wollte: Wir mussten früh gehen. (We had to leave early.)

These exceptions exist because the Perfekt forms of these verbs can sound awkward or overly formal in speech.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even intermediate learners often trip up when using Perfekt and Präteritum. Here are the most common mistakes — and how to fix them:

1. Mixing Tenses Inconsistently

Jumping between Perfekt and Präteritum within the same paragraph or sentence can confuse your reader or listener.

• ❌ Ich bin zur Schule gegangen und machte meine Hausaufgaben.
• ✅ Ich bin zur Schule gegangen und habe meine Hausaufgaben gemacht. (Perfekt for both in spoken)

2. Choosing the Wrong Auxiliary Verb

Using haben when you should use sein (or vice versa) changes the grammar — and sometimes the meaning.

• ❌ Ich habe gegangen.
• ✅ Ich bin gegangen.

3. Incorrect Partizip II Formation

Getting the past participle wrong is especially easy with irregular verbs.

• ❌ Ich habe gesieht.
• ✅ Ich habe gesehen.

Tip: Learn verb triplets: sehen – sah – gesehen, gehen – ging – gegangen, nehmen – nahm – genommen

4. Overusing Präteritum in Conversation

It may feel more direct, but Präteritum sounds odd in everyday speech when used with the wrong verbs.

• ❌ Ich aß Pizza. (sounds like a storybook)
• ✅ Ich habe Pizza gegessen.

Top 50 German irregular verbs

We highly recommend mastering the top 50 German irregular verbs in both forms. You'll hear them a lot and you'll use them a lot. While Perfekt is more commonly used in spoken German, Past Simple (Präteritum) is quite frequently see in written German.

Go to top 50 German irregular verbs 👉