Preteritumformen

Preteritumformen, often called the preterite or imperfect in many languages, are verb forms used to express past actions or states in a simple past time frame. The category is central in many Germanic languages and in literary or formal narration. In German, the tense is known as Präteritum and is typically contrasted with the Perfekt (present perfect) and other past tenses such as Plusquamperfekt. The preterite often serves as the narrative past, marking completed events or a sequence of past events in prose.

In German, Präteritum forms differ by verb class. Regular (weak) verbs form the past with a common set of endings: -te, -test, -te, -ten, -tet. Examples: ich machte, du machtest, er machte, wir machten, ihr machtet, sie machten. Strong verbs show vowel changes and often different endings: gehen → ich ging, du gingst, er ging, wir gingen, ihr gingt, sie gingen. Mixed verbs combine both patterns: bringen → ich brachte, du brachtest, er brachte, wir brachten, ihr brachtet, sie brachten. The full system includes many irregulars and stem changes, making the Präteritum verb-by-verb in many cases.

Usage in contemporary German varies by mode and register. The Präteritum remains standard in writing, literary narration, and news reporting, but in everyday speech the Perfekt is often preferred. In some regions and for certain verbs, the Präteritum is used almost exclusively for past narrative, while the Perfekt covers experiential or ongoing past actions.

Across other Germanic languages, similar preterite forms exist, often called imperfect or imperfectum, with comparable distinctions between regular and irregular verbs. Conceptually, Präteritumformen mark past tense and aspect, distinct from compound tenses formed with auxiliary verbs.