KAPITEL 5 | TEIL 1 - PRESENT PERFECT TENSE: THE PAST PARTICIPLE |

A. Use and formation of the present perfect tense (Der Gebrauch des Perfekts)

The present perfect tense in German is used in conversational speech to report past events. Because the present perfect tense is used for conversations, it is often called the conversational past (as opposed to the narrative past, i.e. simple past tense for writing). The present perfect tense is generally equivalent to the English simple past or progressive past tense.

Explore the following example: Dana grew up in Romania but moved to Italy when she was a child. There she learned Italian. Listen to her story in which Dana uses the present perfect tense forms. You may want to read along while you listen. The present perfect tense forms are italicized in the text.

Image of Dana by the Roman Colleseum
Intermatik Audio: kap5/ShortStory-Dana-2

Ich bin in einer Kleinstadt in der Republik Moldau geboren. Meine Eltern haben immer Rumänisch mit mir gesprochen. In Moldawien habe ich nur die ersten Jahre meines Lebens verbracht, denn meine Familie ist, so wie viele Familien in Moldawien damals, ausgewandert. Ich bin in einer Kleinstadt in Norditalien aufgewachsen. Dort bin ich zur Schule gegangen und habe Italienisch gelernt. Mit 15 habe ich angefangen zu arbeiten. Ich habe als Kellnerin aber auch als Reinigungskraft gearbeitet. Da ich ziemlich gut in der Schule war, habe ich im Gymnasium dann auch Nachhilfeunterricht gegeben.

The present perfect tense is also used in short letters, notes, text messages, or e-mail messages because these writings resemble oral conversations.

The present perfect tense is composed of the following parts:

  • the conjugated form of the helping verb haben or sein and
  • the past participle of the main verb.

The past participle is always the last element in a sentence. The only exception is found in dependent clauses where the conjugated form of the helping verb is the last element. Consider the following examples:

main clause

Helping Verb
(2nd position)

Past Participle
(last position)

Dana

hat

als Kellnerin und als Reinigungskraft

gearbeitet.

Dana

worked
has has worked
was working

as a waitress and as a cleaning lady

Dana hat als Kellnerin und als Reinigungskraft  gearbeitet.
Dana worked as a waitress and as a cleaning lady.
 Intermatik Audio: kap5/IMK-K5-GR-0056

The only exception is found in dependent clauses where the conjugated form of the helping verb is the last element. Consider the following example:

main clause dependent clause

 

past participle
(second-to-last position)

helping verb
(last position)

Dana erzählte,

dass sie als Kellnerin und als Reinigungskraft

gearbeitet

hat.
Dana told us that she worked / has worked / was working as a waitress and as a cleaning lady

Dana erzählte, dass sie als Kellnerin und als Reinigungskraft gearbeitet  hat.
Dana told us that she worked / has worked / was working as a waitress and as a cleaning lady.
Intermatik Audio: kap5/IMK-K5-GR-0057