German conjugation explanation

WORDEN vs. GEWORDEN

<p>The German verb

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/ger/werden/" title="Click to see conjugations for werden" target="_blank">werden</a>

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/ger/sein/" title="Click to see conjugations for sein" target="_blank">sein</a>

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/52/" target="_blank">Perfect</a>

<ul>

<li>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_title">GEWORDEN: Main Verb</div>

<p>When <span style="font-style: italic;">werden</span> is used as a <strong>main verb</strong> meaning "to become" or "to get" (indicating a change of state), the regular past participle form <strong>geworden</strong> is used.</p>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Mein Bruder ist Lehrer <span class="green_emphasis">geworden</span>. (<span style="font-style: italic;">My brother has become a teacher.</span>)</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Es ist schnell dunkel <span class="green_emphasis">geworden</span>. (<span style="font-style: italic;">It became dark quickly.</span>)</div>

</li>

<li>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_title">WORDEN: Passive Voice Auxiliary</div>

<p>When <span style="font-style: italic;">werden</span> is used as an <strong>auxiliary verb</strong> to form the <strong>passive voice</strong> in compound past tenses (like the Perfect or Past Perfect), the prefix <span style="font-style: italic;">ge-</span> is dropped, and the form <strong>worden</strong> is used instead.</p>

<p>In this construction, the sentence already contains the past participle of the main verb (e.g., <span style="font-style: italic;">repariert</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">gefragt</span>), so <span style="font-style: italic;">werden</span> shortens to avoid a repetitive sound.</p>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Das Auto ist repariert <span class="green_emphasis">worden</span>. (<span style="font-style: italic;">The car has been repaired.</span>)</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Ich bin nicht gefragt <span class="green_emphasis">worden</span>. (<span style="font-style: italic;">I was not asked.</span>)</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Die Versammlung ist für nächste Woche anberaumt <span class="green_emphasis">worden</span>. (<span style="font-style: italic;">The meeting has been fixed for next week.</span>)</div>

</li>

</ul>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_title">Quick Check</div>

<p>To decide which form to use, check if there is another past participle in the sentence:</p>

<ul>

<li>Is <span style="font-style: italic;">werden</span> the only verb carrying meaning? Use <strong>geworden</strong>.</li>

<li>Is there another participle describing an action done to the subject? Use <strong>worden</strong>.</li>

</ul>

<p>For more on how to form these participles, see

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/conjugationExplanation/german_past_participle_formation/" target="_blank">Past participle formation</a>