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Tense guide
Perfekt (Perfect)

Language: German
Tense:
Person:

Practice conjugation drills

Introduction

This tense is the most common way to talk about the past in German. It describes actions that are finished. Think of it as the standard past tense for conversations.

The primary use is to talk about a completed action in the past, especially when speaking. This is how you will usually tell someone what you did yesterday, last week, or even years ago.

Ich habe gestern einen Film gesehen.
(I watched a movie yesterday.)
Wir sind letztes Jahr nach Italien geflogen.
(We flew to Italy last year.)
Was hast du am Wochenende gemacht?
(What did you do on the weekend?)
Sie hat in München gewohnt.
(She lived in Munich.)
Die Kinder haben im Garten gespielt.
(The children played in the garden.)

You also use it to describe a past event that has a result or consequence in the present. The action is finished, but it matters right now.

Er ist angekommen.
(He has arrived. [Meaning: He is here now.])
Ich habe meinen Schlüssel verloren.
(I have lost my key. [Meaning: I can't open the door now.])
Das Fenster ist aufgegangen.
(The window has opened. [Meaning: It is open now.])

This tense is used for life experiences or events that happened at an unspecified time before now. It answers the question "Have you ever..."?

Ich habe noch nie Paella gegessen.
(I have never eaten paella.)
Bist du schon einmal in den USA gewesen?
(Have you ever been to the USA?)

Because it is the standard tense for speaking, it is also used in most forms of informal writing. This includes text messages, emails, and personal letters.

Ich habe dir eine Nachricht geschickt.
(I sent you a message.)
Danke, ich habe die E-Mail bekommen.
(Thanks, I received the email.)

Important: In everyday German conversation, you will almost always use this tense to talk about the past. Another past tense (called "Präteritum") is mostly used in books, news articles, and very formal speech.

Further explanations

Conjugation patterns