German Simple Past Tense - Regular Verbs
Overview
Forming the simple past is not all that difficult and is similar to forming verbs in the present tense. For regular verbs (weak verbs), you use the stem of the verb and add a personal ending. Those personal endings are -(e)te, -(e)test, -(e)ten, and -(e)tet.
![German Simple Past Tense - Regular Verbs 1 Bringing up the past](https://www.corelanguages.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/bringing-up-the-past.jpg)
If you are looking for more information on this topic, you can access our learning material here: Video, Lesson, Exercise and more…
Past Tense 2: Imperfect (das Imperfekt/Präteritum)
The simple past/imperfect/preterite tense (das Präteritum/das Imperfekt) is the form of the past tense most often found in writing (i.e. narrative form; not to be confused with written dialogue, which maintains the present perfect tense). The spoken past tense in German (the present perfect or “das Perfekt”) typically only utilizes the simple past forms of the following verbs: sein, haben, wollen, sollen, dürfen, müssen, mögen, and können. However, the present perfect form of both ‘sein’ and ‘haben’ are also used in spoken German — for all intents and purposes, they are interchangeable in the spoken word.
Here are the conjugated forms of both verbs:
![German Simple Past Tense - Regular Verbs 2 preteritehaben sein jpg](https://corelanguages8.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/preteritehaben-sein-jpg.jpg)
Beispiele:
Present Perfect Simple Past
Ich bin sehr müde gewesen. OR Ich war sehr müde. = I was very tired.
Ich habe Kopfschmerzen gehabt. OR Ich hatte Kopfschmerzen. = I had a headache.
Notice that both the simple past and present perfect forms are identical in terms of meaning. The only difference between them is that one form (present perfect tense) is exclusively used in spoken German (or other communication construed as verbal such as email, texts, or dialogue), whereas the other (simple past/preterite) is valid for the spoken and written past forms.
The simple past is formed in one of 3 ways: for regular, mixed, and irregular verbs.
Regular verbs like ‘spielen,’ ‘arbeiten,’ and ‘tanzen’ drop the ‘en’ endings and add a ‘t’ + conjugated ending.
Regular Verbs
![German Simple Past Tense - Regular Verbs 3 simplepastregularverbs 1 jpg](https://corelanguages8.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/simplepastregularverbs-1-jpg.jpg)
Note that verbs ending in ‘d’ or ‘t’ have to add an ‘e’ before the ‘t’ + ending (see ‘arbeiten’ above). Also, the first- and third-person singular (ich and er/sie/es forms) are identical in the preterite, just like with ‘haben’ and ‘sein’ (above). Other verbs that also add an “e” before the “t” are those that do so in the present tense, including atmen, begegnen, leugnen, widmen, and zeichnen (e.g. Er zeichnete/widmete/begegnete).
Our teachers and tutors are experienced and passionate about helping students improve their language skills. Our platform offers a flexible and convenient way to learn from the comfort of your home or in person. Find whether your favorite teacher is available for in person classes or choose any teacher for online class or simply let us pick a great teacher for you.
![](https://www.corelanguages.com/wp-content/uploads/avatars/1/65dd1829aef7e-bpthumb.png)
Highlighted Author:
Stephen Sovenyhazy
![Smiling young african american businessman writing in diary and using laptop in creative office](https://www.corelanguages.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/smiling-young-african-american-businessman-writing-in-diary-and-using-laptop-in-creative-office-1024x682.jpg)
Private Classes
Meet one or more times weekly with your dedicated German instructor online or in person at a pace and schedule that fits your busy life.
![Group of cheerful young women studying together](https://www.corelanguages.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/group-of-cheerful-young-women-studying-together-1024x684.jpg)
Group Courses
![Inspirational International Women's Day Quotes for 2023](https://www.corelanguages.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Image-of-a-succesful-casual-business-woman-using-laptop-during-meeting-3.jpeg)
Self-Study
Do you like to study on your own when it’s convenient for you? Access free courses or buy helpful charts, vocabulary lists, and courses.
Additional Topics
Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
The CEFR is an international standard used to describe language ability. Here are specific details of the CEFR for this topic.