Choosing between 'sein' and 'haben'

In many exam questions students have to choose between using sein or haben , when using the perfect tense. The following simple rules will help you decide which one you should use, when, and why.

• if a verb has to do with going or arriving anywhere, it is very likely to use sein.
• if a verb is about changing from one way of being to another (eg getting up from lying down, it is likely to use sein.
• if a verb has a direct effect on something else, it is likely to use haben.

(If you look in the back of any German textbook, you will find that a starred * verb is one that uses sein.)