Perfect Tense

Present Perfekt Tense in German is considered to be the conversational past as it is mostly used in spoken German when referring to past events. When in English you say I saw him, in German you will have to use Ich habe ihn gesehen.

Forming the Present Perfect Tense in German

Weak verbs:

• Typically forms the past participle by adding the prefix "ge-" and a suffix of "-t" or "-et" to the stem:

Ich habe das gesagt.	I said that.
Sie hat gut gespielt.	She played well.
Wir haben schwer gearbeitet.	We worked hard.
Ich habe nichts gehört.	I didn't hear anything.

• If the verb has a separable prefix, the "ge" becomes an infix; it is placed between the prefix and the stem:

Wir haben die Tür zugemacht.	We closed the door.
Ich habe eingekauft.	I went shopping.

• If the verb ends in -ieren, there is no ge- added:

Das hat gut funktioniert.	That worked well.
Sie hat Physik studiert.	She studied physics.
Hast du auch die Küche renoviert?	Did you renovate the kitchen, too?

• If the verb has an inseparable prefix, that replaces the "ge":

Was hast du ihnen erzählt?	What did you tell them?
Habt ihr viel Geld dafür bezahlt?	Did y'all pay a lot of money for that?
Der Wagen hat mir gehört.	The car belonged to me.

Strong verbs:

• The "irregular strong verbs," including the modal auxiliaries when they are not associated with another verb in the infinitive, add the suffix "-t" or "-et" to a (usually) changed stem:

Ich habe das nicht gewollt.	I didn't want that.
Als Kind habe ich gut Chinesisch gekonnt.	As a child I could speak Chinese well.
Sie hat das nicht gewusst.	She didn't know that.
Was hast du mir gebracht?	What did you bring me?

• The remaining strong verbs add "-en" to a stem that may or may not be changed.

Ich habe meinen Hut gefunden.	I found my hat.
Du hast zu schnell gesprochen.	You spoke too fast.
Haben Sie gut geschlafen?	Did you sleep well?
Sie hat mein Buch nicht gelesen.	She didn't read my book.

• These strong verbs fall into distinct categories. Here is a list of the most common strong verbs, arranged in those groups. The rules about the prefix "ge-" remain the same:

Was hast du mitgebracht?	What did you bring along?
Das Konzert hat schon begonnen.	The concert has already begun.
Sie hat schon alles aufgegessen.	She has already eaten up everything.
Die Kinder haben den ganzen Tag ferngesehen.	The children watched TV all day.
Wir haben etwas anderes vorgehabt.	We planned to do something else.

The Auxiliary Verb:

• Most verbs, as in the examples above, take "haben," but some require "sein":

Wann bist du nach Hause gekommen?	When did you come home?
Wir sind ins Kino gegangen.	We went to the movies.
Seid ihr geflogen oder gefahren?	Did y'all fly or drive?
Er ist alt geworden.	He's gotten old.
Sie sind in der Stadt geblieben.	They stayed in the city.
Die Musik ist sehr laut gewesen.	The music was very loud.

• The verbs that take "sein" are mostly predictable on the basis of their meaning. They must satisfy two conditions: 1) they must be intransitive; 2) they must indicate a change of position or of condition. In the example "Wir sind nach Hause gegangen," the verb "gehen" 1) takes no direct object and 2) describes motion from one place to another. The same is true with:

Sie ist spät aufgestanden.	She got up late.
Er ist gestern angekommen.	He arrived yesterday.
Ich bin langsam gelaufen.	I ran (or walked) slowly.

• Examples of a change of condition:

Ihr Ring ist schon grün geworden.	Her ring has already turned green.
Er ist gestern gestorben.	He died yesterday.
Die Pflanze ist schnell gewachsen.	The plant grew fast.
Ich bin sofort eingeschlafen.	I fell asleep immediately.