The simple past tense (Präteritum) is another way to talk about completed actions in the past. While the perfect tense (Perfekt) is more common in everyday speech, the simple past is frequently used in the following situations:
- Written texts: Particularly in literature, news reports, and formal writing
- Example: Er ging zur Schule. (He went to school.)
- Formal speech: During presentations, news broadcasts, and formal situations
- Example: Der Präsident sprach über die Wirtschaft. (The president spoke about the economy.)
- With auxiliary and modal verbs, even in spoken German
- Example: Ich war gestern krank. (I was sick yesterday.)
- Example: Er wollte ein neues Auto kaufen. (He wanted to buy a new car.)
Regular Verb Conjugation
For regular (weak) verbs, the simple past is formed by adding specific endings to the verb stem:
Pronoun | Conjugation | Example
(spielen - to play) | Example
(kaufen - to buy) | Example
(machen - to do/make) |
ich | stem + te | spielte | kaufte | machte |
du | stem + test | spieltest | kauftest | machtest |
er/sie/es | stem + te | spielte | kaufte | machte |
wir | stem + ten | spielten | kauften | machten |
ihr | stem + tet | spieltet | kauftet | machtet |
sie/Sie | stem + ten | spielten | kauften | machten |
Special Cases for Regular Verbs
Similar to the present tense, some verbs require small spelling adjustments:
- Verbs with stems ending in -t, -d, -m, or -n: Add an extra 'e' before the ending
- Example: arbeiten (to work) → ich arbeitete, wir arbeiteten
Irregular Verb Conjugation
Irregular (strong) verbs change their stem in the simple past and use different endings that usually follow the pattern illustrated below:
Pronoun | Ending | Example
(finden - to find) | Example
(geben - to give) | Example
(sehen - to see) |
ich | - | fand | gab | sah |
du | -(e)st | fandest | gabst | sahst |
er/sie/es | - | fand | gab | sah |
wir | -(e)n | fanden | gaben | sahen |
ihr | -(e)t | fandet | gabt | saht |
sie/Sie | -(e)n | fanden | gaben | sahen |
The verb stem/prefix in strong verbs must be memorized as they follow various patterns. For example:
- gehen (to go): ich ging
- trinken (to drink): ich trank
- singen (to sing): ich sang
Mixed Verbs
Some verbs follow a mixed pattern - they change their stem (like strong verbs) but also take the -te endings (like weak verbs):
- Example: denken (to think) → ich dachte, wir dachten
- Example: bringen (to bring) → ich brachte, wir brachten
Common Verbs in the Simple Past
These verbs are frequently used in the simple past, even in spoken German:
Auxiliary Verbs
Infinitive | Simple Past (ich form) |
sein (to be) | ich war |
haben (to have) | ich hatte |
werden (to become) | ich wurde |
Modal Verbs
Infinitive | Simple Past (ich form) |
können (can) | ich konnte |
müssen (must) | ich musste |
dürfen (may) | ich durfte |
sollen (should) | ich sollte |
wollen (to want) | ich wollte |
mögen (to like) | ich mochte |