The Past Tense

This page is about all three German past tense forms:

• The perfect tense

• The simple past (or imperfect tense)

• The pluperfect

It also contains a table about the different names used for each tense and a table about when to use each tense (including the present tense and the future tense). You can download the transcript of the Past Tense podcasts here:

Click here for the pdf version of the podcast about how to use the perfect tense.

Or click here for the transcript in a Word document.

Click here for the pdf version of the podcast about when to use the perfect tense.

Or click here for the transcript in a Word document.

Click here for the pdf version of the podcast about the simple past.

Or click here for the transcript in a Word document.

Click here for the pdf version of the podcast about the pluperfect.

Or click here for the transcript in a Word document.

Different Names Used for Each of the Past Tenses

Which Tense To Use

The Perfect Tense

How to build a regular past particple

Some common German past participles

Verb types that take sein instead of haben in the perfect tense

The Simple Past Tense

Verbs that you don't usually use the perfect for, even in spoken German

The Pluperfect Tense

You create the pluperfect by taking the perfect tense and turning the auxiliary verb into the simple past version of itself. Here are examples for a verb that takes haben and for a verb that takes sein:

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