German grammar: Perfekt

What this grammar point covers

The 'Perfekt' is a German past tense used to talk about actions or events that happened in the past. It is often used in spoken German.

When to use it

Use the Perfekt to talk about completed actions in the past, especially in conversations and informal writing.

Key forms

• haben/sein (present) + Partizip II
• Example: Ich habe gegessen.
• Example: Er ist gegangen.

Examples

Tips

• Most verbs use 'haben', but verbs of movement or change of state often use 'sein'.
• The Partizip II usually ends with '-t' or '-en'.
• The auxiliary verb (haben/sein) is always in the second position in the sentence.

Exceptions and edge cases

• Some verbs are irregular and have a special Partizip II form, like 'gehen' → 'gegangen'.
• A few verbs can use both 'haben' and 'sein', depending on their meaning.