The perfect tense, also known as the Präteritum Perfekt or simply “Perfekt” in German, is used to describe an action that has been completed in the past and has a continuing relevance to the present. It is formed using the present tense of either the auxiliary verb “haben” (to have) or “sein” (to be) followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Formation of the Perfect Tense

The perfect tense is formed using the following pattern:

Subject + haben/sein (present tense) + past participle

Examples:

• Ich habe gestern Abend gegessen. (I ate yesterday evening.)
• Sie haben das Buch gelesen. (They have read the book.)
• Er ist letzte Woche nach Berlin gefahren. (He went to Berlin last week.)

Usage of the Perfect Tense

The perfect tense is used in a variety of situations, including:

• To talk about past events that have a continuing relevance to the present.
• To describe actions that have been completed in the past and have a result that is still visible or ongoing.
• To narrate a sequence of events in the past.
• To report news or events from the past.

Comparison with the Präteritum

The perfect tense is often contrasted with the Präteritum, another past tense in German. The Präteritum is used to describe simple past events that have no continuing relevance to the present.

Example:

• Ich kaufte gestern ein Buch. (I bought a book yesterday.) (Präteritum)
• Ich habe gestern ein Buch gekauft. (I have bought a book yesterday.) (Perfect Tense)

In the first sentence, the action of buying a book is simply stated as a past event. In the second sentence, the action of buying a book is still relevant to the present because the speaker still has the book.

With “haben”:

1. Ich habe das Buch gelesen. (I have read the book.)
2. Wir haben einen Film gesehen. (We have watched a movie.)
3. Du hast Deutsch gelernt. (You have learned German.)
4. Er hat das Essen gekocht. (He has cooked the meal.)
5. Sie haben die Prüfung bestanden. (They have passed the exam.)
6. Ich habe gestern eingekauft. (I have shopped yesterday.)
7. Wir haben das Museum besucht. (We have visited the museum.)
8. Ihr habt den Brief geschrieben. (You have written the letter.)
9. Sie hat die Blumen gegossen. (She has watered the flowers.)
10. Ich habe die Hausaufgaben gemacht. (I have done the homework.)

With “sein”:

11. Ich bin nach Hause gekommen. (I have come home.)
12. Du bist ins Kino gegangen. (You have gone to the cinema.)
13. Er ist in die Stadt gefahren. (He has driven to the city.)
14. Wir sind spazieren gegangen. (We have gone for a walk.)
15. Ihr seid ins Restaurant gegangen. (You have gone to the restaurant.)
16. Sie ist nach Berlin geflogen. (She has flown to Berlin.)
17. Wir sind um acht Uhr aufgestanden. (We have gotten up at eight.)
18. Ihr seid ins Schwimmbad gegangen. (You have gone to the swimming pool.)
19. Die Kinder sind zur Schule gegangen. (The children have gone to school.)
20. Ich bin mit dem Zug gereist. (I have traveled by train.)