perfektform

Perfektform, often simply Perfekt, is a past tense in German grammar used to describe completed past events. In everyday spoken German it is the dominant past tense, while written language often favors Präteritum for narration.

Formation and structure: The Perfekt is formed with a finite auxiliary verb, haben or sein, in the present tense and the past participle (Partizip II) of the main verb. In main clauses the usual word order is subject + auxiliary (habe, bist, ist, etc.) + participle: Ich habe das Buch gelesen. In subordinate clauses the finite verb goes to the end: weil ich das Buch gelesen habe.

Auxiliary selection: Most verbs use haben. Verbs of movement or change of state, especially intransitive ones without a direct object, commonly use sein (zum Beispiel gehen – ich bin gegangen, fahren – wir sind gefahren). Some verbs can take either auxiliary depending on meaning (for example, fahren with a direct object vs. movement).

Partizip II formation: Regular verbs form the participle typically with ge- and -t (machen – gemacht, arbeiten – gearbeitet). Irregular verbs have varying forms (sehen – gesehen, gehen – gegangen). Verbs with separable prefixes (aufmachen, mitnehmen) form the participle together with the prefix (aufgemacht, mitgenommen), while inseparable prefixes often do not use ge- (verstehen – verstanden).

Usage notes: The Perfekt expresses past events and is common in speech for recently completed actions and everyday narration. In formal writing, Präteritum is frequently used, especially for past tense narration in literature and news. Regional variation exists, with some varieties favoring Präteritum more in spoken language as well.