Präteritum: the German simple past for writing
When to use the Präteritum instead of the Perfekt, how to form weak and strong verbs, and the handful of verbs that use it even in speech.
German has two past tenses. The Perfekt rules everyday speech; the Präteritum (simple past) rules writing — stories, news, reports. You also need the Präteritum of a few verbs in normal conversation, so it is not optional.
Weak verbs: stem + -te
Regular (weak) verbs add -te plus the personal ending: machen → ich machte, du machtest, er machte. Stems ending in -t or -d insert an extra e: arbeiten → ich arbeitete. The ich and er/sie/es forms are identical — a handy shortcut.
Strong verbs change the stem vowel
Strong (irregular) verbs change their vowel and take no -te: gehen → ich ging, sehen → ich sah, kommen → ich kam, fahren → ich fuhr. There is no rule that predicts the vowel, so learn these as a set, ideally alongside their Perfekt participle.
The verbs you need even in speech
- sein → war: Ich war müde.
- haben → hatte: Wir hatten keine Zeit.
- Modal verbs: konnte, musste, wollte, durfte, sollte.
- es gab (there was/were), from geben.
When telling a story or writing, switch to the Präteritum for a natural flow; in casual chat about what you did, the Perfekt sounds right. But always use war, hatte and the modal Präteritum forms, even when speaking.
Frequently asked questions
When should I use the Präteritum and when the Perfekt?
Use the Präteritum mainly in writing and storytelling. In everyday speech the Perfekt is normal for most verbs — except sein (war), haben (hatte) and the modals, which use the Präteritum even when spoken.
How do I form the Präteritum of weak verbs?
Add -te to the stem plus the personal ending: spielen → spielte, lernen → lernte. Stems in -t/-d add an extra e (arbeitete), and the ich and er/sie/es forms look identical.