The simple past is common in written narratives; sein, haben and modal verbs also often use it in everyday conversation.
The idea
Regular verbs add te before personal endings, sometimes with an extra e. Strong verbs change their stem: gehen becomes ging. Learn useful forms in complete sentences.
| Form / Muster | Beispiel / Gegensatz |
|---|---|
| sein | ich war / wir waren |
| haben | ich hatte / wir hatten |
| machen | ich machte / wir machten |
| gehen | ich ging / wir gingen |
Examples
- Gestern war der Laden geschlossen.
- Wir hatten wenig Zeit.
- Sie wollte früher gehen.
- Der Junge öffnete die Tür.
- Danach ging er zum Fenster.
- Ich wusste die Antwort nicht.
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Watch out
Keep the finite past form distinct from the participle: Er öffnete die Tür is complete, while Er geöffnet die Tür lacks an auxiliary. Sein and haben also occur frequently in the spoken simple past.
Try it yourself
Letzte Woche ___ ich krank. (sein)
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war
Answer: “war”. This is the finite Präteritum form; it is especially common with sein and haben in conversation.
Er ___ die Tür. (öffnen, Präteritum)
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öffnete
The regular Präteritum form is öffnete: the stem öffn- takes -ete so it is pronounceable. With er, no further ending is added.
Wir ___ keine Zeit. (haben, Präteritum)
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hatten
Answer: “hatten”. This is the finite Präteritum form; it is especially common with sein and haben in conversation.
Practice round
Answer three questions, then rebuild three German sentences. We keep your score.
Letzte Woche ___ ich krank. (sein)
Er ___ die Tür. (öffnen, Präteritum)
Wir ___ keine Zeit. (haben, Präteritum)
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Write two new events following “Gestern war der Laden geschlossen.”. Add a clear time expression and explain why the chosen tense fits each event.