193. The Perfect Tense with Irregular Verbs
Last time we looked at the Perfect Tense but only with Regular Verbs. Now we need to look at the Perfect Tense with Irregular Verbs. These verbs are similar to English in that they are often quite irregular and unfortunately the most frequently used in the language. Therefore, when learning these verbs you just have to take your medicine and accept that they are irregular but must be learned.
The big difference we notice about these verbs is that the Past Participles mostly end in 'en' rather than 't'. Usually, but not always, there will be a vowel change just as English has. Let's first look at some samples of English irregular verbs ... I have swum, you have begun, he has given, she has seen, we have found.
Again, the same rule applies with the use of 'haben' + Past Participle .... so some examples might be .... Ich habe gestern Abend einen guten Film gesehen. Wie hast du den Film gefunden? Heinrich hat seiner Mutter meine CD gegeben.
Below are some of the more common samples with Infinitive & Past Participle...
bieten - geboten = offered
beginnen - begonnen = begun
bitten - gebeten = ask, request
bringen - gebracht = brought
denken - gedacht = thought
empfehlen - empfohlen = recommend
essen - gegessen = eaten
gewinnen - gewonnen = won
halten - gehalten = held, stop
helfen - geholfen = helped
lesen - gelesen = read
liegen - gelegen = lain
nehmen - genommen = taken
raten - geraten = advise
schlafen - geschlafen = slept
schließen - geschlossen = shut
schreiben - geschrieben = written
singen - gesungen = sung
sitzen - gesessen = sat
sprechen - gesprochen = spoken
stehen - gestanden = stood
tragen - getragen = carry, wear
trinken - getrunken = drunk
tun - getan = done
verlieren - verloren = lost
waschen - gewaschen = washed
wissen - gewusst = knew
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| Berliners doing a bit of sidewalk gambling |
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