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Past Tenses (Perfekt, Präteritum, Plusquamperfekt)

How do I form the Präteritum (simple past)?

Regular verbs: Stem + -te + personal ending (no ending for ich/er/sie/es).

spielen → ich spielte, du spieltest, er spielte, wir spielten, ihr spieltet, sie spielten

Strong verbs: Vowel change in stem + personal ending (no ending for ich/er/sie/es). These must be memorized.

gehen → ich ging, du gingst, er ging

lesen → ich las, du last, er las

Example

Ich sagte nichts. (Regular)

Er kam gestern. (Strong)

Wir waren im Urlaub. (sein in Präteritum)

Sie hatten viel Spaß. (haben in Präteritum)

Learn this properly — full lessons

Present Tense Past Tenses Future Tense Modal Verbs The Imperative Passive Voice Konjunktiv II Bilingual Stories Flashcards

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