morgenlese
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A2 Elementary

Perfekt (present perfect)

The Perfekt is the usual way to talk about the past when speaking. Put haben or sein in position 2 and the Partizip II at the end. Most verbs use haben; verbs of movement or change (gehen, fahren, kommen, aufstehen), plus bleiben and sein, use sein. Regular verbs: ge…t (gemacht); irregular verbs: ge…en (gefahren).

Pattern

haben / sein (position 2) … Partizip II (end)

Common mistake

Using haben with verbs of movement.

Ich habe nach Berlin gefahren.

Ich bin nach Berlin gefahren.

Quick check

  1. Ich ______ gestern nach Berlin gefahren.

    habe · bin · hat

    Show answer

    bin — fahren is a verb of movement, so it uses sein: ich bin.

  2. Wir haben am Abend Pizza ______.

    gegessen · geesst · essen

    Show answer

    gegessen — essen is irregular: its Partizip II is gegessen.

  3. Hast du deine Hausaufgaben ______?

    machen · gemachen · gemacht

    Show answer

    gemacht — machen is regular: ge + mach + t.

Stories that practice it

MorgenleseNr. 6

Das erste Date

A2Relationships · 3 min

After six weeks of messages, Luka and Amira finally meet in a café. Both are nervous, and both have a small secret about their photos.

Nebensatz (subordinate clause) · Perfekt (present perfect) · 7 new words

MorgenleseNr. 10

Das erste Oktoberfest

A2Culture · 3 min

Ahmed goes to the Oktoberfest for the first time – in borrowed Lederhosen that are much too small for him.

Perfekt (present perfect) · Dativ (dative case) · 6 new words

MorgenleseNr. 14

Das Geräusch im Keller

A2Mystery · 3 min

Every night something scratches and rattles in the basement. Jana and her neighbours have their theories – and one night they go down to find out.

Nebensatz (subordinate clause) · Perfekt (present perfect) · 7 new words

MorgenleseNr. 22

Das Picknick

A2Food · 3 min

Lisa has planned the perfect picnic down to the last detail. But at the lake, the friends discover that a few things are missing.

Perfekt (present perfect) · Nebensatz (subordinate clause) · 7 new words

MorgenleseNr. 26

Das Praktikum

A2Work · 3 min

Zeynep wanted to be a journalist, but at the local paper she mostly makes coffee. Then a colleague gets sick, and she gets a small, strange assignment.

Perfekt (present perfect) · 6 new words

MorgenleseNr. 30

Das Tennisspiel

A2Sports · 3 min

Daniel plays tennis with his girlfriend's father for the first time. The man is almost seventy, so Daniel has a kind plan: he will let him win.

Dativ (dative case) · Perfekt (present perfect) · 7 new words

MorgenleseNr. 38

Der Campingurlaub

A2Travel · 4 min

Giulia and Marko have never been camping. Their first tent takes two hours to put up – and then the night rain begins.

Perfekt (present perfect) · Trennbare Verben (separable verbs) · 7 new words

MorgenleseNr. 50

Der Friseurtermin

A2Comedy · 3 min

Jakub only wants his hair a little shorter. He falls asleep in the chair – and wakes up with a haircut he would rather hide under a hat.

Perfekt (present perfect) · Trennbare Verben (separable verbs) · 7 new words

MorgenleseNr. 54

Der Hund, der Briefe bringt

A2Mystery · 4 min

Every morning there is a letter in Eva's garden – and it is always for someone else. The postman swears he has never lost one. So who is delivering them?

Nebensatz (subordinate clause) · Perfekt (present perfect) · 7 new words

MorgenleseNr. 58

Der Kuchen für die Nachbarn

A2Food · 3 min

Zeynep has just moved in and bakes an apple cake to meet her new neighbours. They eat every crumb – but they are strangely quiet.

Trennbare Verben (separable verbs) · Perfekt (present perfect) · 7 new words

MorgenleseNr. 66

Der Stadtlauf

A2Sports · 3 min

Petra is fifty-two and runs her very first city race. After two minutes, she can only see the other runners' backs.

Perfekt (present perfect) · Trennbare Verben (separable verbs) · 6 new words

MorgenleseNr. 74

Der Umzug

A2Daily life · 3 min

Jonas moves into a fourth-floor flat with the help of two friends. He didn't write anything on the boxes – what could go wrong?

Trennbare Verben (separable verbs) · Perfekt (present perfect) · 6 new words

MorgenleseNr. 82

Der verlorene Koffer

A2Travel · 3 min

David flies to Hamburg for a language course, but his suitcase doesn't. Luckily his host, Mr Brandt, has a big wardrobe – full of very colourful shirts.

Perfekt (present perfect) · 7 new words

MorgenleseNr. 86

Der verlorene Schlüssel

A2Daily life · 3 min

Lena comes home tired on a Friday evening, but her key is gone. Where could she have lost it?

Perfekt (present perfect) · 6 new words

MorgenleseNr. 90

Die falsche Party

A2Comedy · 4 min

Nina is invited to her colleague's birthday party on the fourth floor. She has a wonderful evening – there's just one small problem.

Perfekt (present perfect) · Nebensatz (subordinate clause) · 6 new words

MorgenleseNr. 98

Die Hochzeit meiner Cousine

A2Relationships · 3 min

Jonas goes with his girlfriend to her cousin's wedding in Serbia. He only knows two words of Serbian, but they get him surprisingly far.

Perfekt (present perfect) · Dativ (dative case) · 7 new words

MorgenleseNr. 102

Die Postkarte ohne Absender

A2Mystery · 3 min

Every month, Klara gets a postcard from a different city, but nobody ever signs it. Who is writing to her from all over the world?

Perfekt (present perfect) · Dativ (dative case) · 7 new words

MorgenleseNr. 110

Die Waschmaschine

A2Daily life · 4 min

Zeynep only went out for bread rolls – and came back to a flooded bathroom. Then the grumpy neighbour from downstairs rings the bell.

Perfekt (present perfect) · Trennbare Verben (separable verbs) · 6 new words

MorgenleseNr. 114

Ein Abend im Kino

A2Culture · 3 min

Ivana goes to see her first German film without subtitles. She doesn't understand everything – but she has a clever trick.

Perfekt (present perfect) · Dativ (dative case) · 6 new words

MorgenleseNr. 122

Ein Videoanruf mit Oma

A2Technology · 3 min

The grandchildren give Grandma Hilde a tablet for video calls. Nobody believes it will work – and the first call is a little chaotic.

Perfekt (present perfect) · 7 new words

MorgenleseNr. 154

Verspätung am Flughafen

A2Travel · 4 min

Milica's flight from Munich to Belgrade is four hours late, and her mother is already cooking. Then she hears a familiar voice at the next table.

Perfekt (present perfect) · Nebensatz (subordinate clause) · 6 new words

Perfekt (present perfect): German grammar with examples · Morgenlese