Key language Key words Key language Grammar note: talking about the past Key language Cultural note


If you want to talk about something that happened, you'll need to use a verb in the past. Compare I lose and I've lost.

In German, you form one of the past tenses using ich habe, I have etc., followed by a form of the verb called the past participle. The past participle always appears at the end of the sentence.

Here are some useful verbs in the past:



Ich habe + verloren
Ich habe meine Tasche verloren I've lost my bag
Ich habe + gefunden
Ich habe Schlüssel gefunden I've found some keys
Ich habe + gesehen
Ich habe die Tasche gesehen I've seen the bag

Not all verbs in the past use ich habe.... With verbs of movement you use ich bin... + past participle:



Ich bin + gefahren
Ich bin nach München gefahren. I've gone to Munich.

See also...
More about the past
Regular verbs


Now click on 'start the activity' and drag the words into the bar below to build words and phrases to express what hurts.




1. Guess the Words 2. Re-arrange the dialogue 3. Build sentences 4. Speak and Write

bbc.co.uk navigation

BBC © 2012 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.