PräteritumHilfeverb

PräteritumHilfeverb is a term encountered in some grammar discussions to denote the Präteritum forms of the auxiliary verbs haben and sein when they are used as helping verbs to form compound past tenses in German. The concept emphasizes the role of these past-tense forms as auxiliary support, rather than as the main lexical verb.

In standard German, the simple past (Präteritum) of most verbs is formed without an auxiliary. Compound past tenses, such as Plusquamperfekt (past perfect) and Futur II (future perfect), require an auxiliary verb. When these tenses are stated in the past, the auxiliary is the Präteritum form of haben or sein. For example: ich hatte gegessen (I had eaten) uses habe in its Präteritum form hatten as the auxiliary; er war gegangen (he had gone) uses war, the Präteritum of sein.

The Präteritum forms of haben and sein used as helping verbs are:

- hatten (Präteritum of haben) and war/warst/waren (various Präteritum forms of sein)

These forms function as the grammatical support for the participle forms of the main verb in compounds like Plusquamperfekt.

Usage notes:

- The choice of auxiliary for the compound past follows the same rules as in other tenses: haben for most verbs, sein for intransitive verbs of movement or change of state, and certain fixed expressions.

- In everyday speech and writing, the Plusquamperfekt with hatte or war is common to express an event that occurred before another past event.

Relation to other terms: PräteritumHilfeverb is not universally used as a standard label; many grammars simply refer to the Präteritum forms of haben and sein as the auxiliary in compound past tenses.