Das Perfekt
Everything so far has been present tense - what you do, have, are. Today you get the past: the tense Germans actually use in everyday speech for "I did X yesterday." It's a milestone lesson, and it's also a favorite Schreiben (writing) and Sprechen (speaking) exam prompt: "describe your weekend."
Ich habe Deutsch gelernt. (I learned German.)
Ich bin nach Berlin gefahren. (I went to Berlin.)
Two pieces: a helper verb (haben or sein), conjugated normally in the verb-second slot from Lesson 5, and the past participle pushed all the way to the end - the same end-of-sentence pattern you already know from modal verbs (Lesson 11) and separable verbs (Lesson 15).
Most verbs use haben. Use sein only for motion/change-of-state verbs: fahren (travel), gehen (go), kommen (come). When unsure, haben is the safer guess.
| Infinitive | Participle |
|---|---|
| lernen | gelernt |
| machen | gemacht |
| kaufen | gekauft |
| gehen → gegangen | (sein) |
| essen → gegessen | (haben) |
| trinken → getrunken | (haben) |
Full list including separable verbs in the Perfekt: Reference - Perfekt.
1. "I learned German." - Ich habe Deutsch ______.
2. Which helper verb goes with "gehen" (to go)?
3. "I went to Berlin." - Ich ______ nach Berlin gefahren.
4. What's the past participle of "essen" (to eat)?
5. Which helper verb is the safer default guess when unsure?
Cross-checked against the Goethe-Institut A1 practice materials, which uses the Perfekt throughout the Schreiben section.
Want to describe your actual weekend or a recent trip? Ask your teaching agent to help build the sentences and check your participles.