Formation

haben/sein + Partizip II (often ge- + stem + -t/-en)

• Ich habe gearbeitet.
• Ich bin gekommen. (sein with motion/change of state)

Word order

Participle at end: Ich habe das Buch gelesen.

Practical Examples

1. Ich habe gestern einen Film geschaut.

I watched a movie yesterday. Usage Note: Most verbs use "haben" as the auxiliary verb. "Schauen" is a regular verb, forming its past participle with "ge-" and "-t".

1. Hast du deine Hausaufgaben gemacht?

Did you do your homework? Usage Note: Questions in Perfekt place the auxiliary verb ("haben" or "sein") at the beginning. "Machen" is a regular verb.

1. Er hat das Buch leider nicht gelesen.

He unfortunately didn't read the book. Usage Note: Negations usually place "nicht" before the past participle or the object. "Lesen" is an irregular verb, forming its past participle as "gelesen".

1. Wir sind am Wochenende nach Berlin gefahren.

We drove to Berlin on the weekend. Usage Note: Verbs indicating a change of location or state use "sein" as the auxiliary verb. "Fahren" is a movement verb.

1. Seid ihr schon einmal in Deutschland gewesen?

Have you ever been to Germany? Usage Note: The verb "sein" (to be) itself uses "sein" as its auxiliary verb in the Perfekt ("gewesen").

1. Sie ist heute Morgen nicht zur Arbeit gegangen.

She didn't go to work this morning. Usage Note: Negation with a verb that uses "sein". "Gehen" is a movement verb.

1. Ich habe meinen Schlüssel gefunden.

I found my key. Usage Note: "Finden" is an irregular verb, forming its past participle as "gefunden". It uses "haben".

1. Hat sie dir die Geschichte erzählt?

Did she tell you the story? Usage Note: "Erzählen" is a regular verb but starts with an inseparable prefix "er-", so it does not take "ge-" in the past participle.

1. Wir haben gestern nicht viel gegessen.

We didn't eat much yesterday. Usage Note: "Essen" is an irregular verb ("gegessen"). Negation with "haben".

1. Meine Schwester ist gestern Abend spät angekommen.

My sister arrived late last night. Usage Note: "Ankommen" is a movement verb (arriving at a destination) and uses "sein". It has a separable prefix "an-", so "ge-" is inserted between the prefix and the verb stem.

1. Bist du schon aufgestanden?

Have you already gotten up? Usage Note: "Aufstehen" (to get up) indicates a change of state and uses "sein". It's a separable verb, so "ge-" is inserted between the prefix "auf-" and the verb stem.

1. Er ist nicht geblieben.

He didn't stay. Usage Note: "Bleiben" (to stay) is a verb of state or position that uses "sein" in the Perfekt.

1. Wir haben die ganze Nacht getanzt.

We danced all night. Usage Note: "Tanzen" is a regular verb and uses "haben".

1. Sie hat ihre Freunde besucht.

She visited her friends. Usage Note: "Besuchen" has an inseparable prefix "be-", so it does not take "ge-" in the past participle. It uses "haben".

1. Ich habe Deutsch studiert.

I studied German. Usage Note: Verbs ending in "-ieren" do not take "ge-" in the past participle. They use "haben".