A2.1 · 13 of 28
war & hatte (Präteritum)
Lesson · 4 rules · about 5 min
Tell a story the way Germans do: war and hatte set the scene — Es war kalt, ich hatte Hunger — and the Perfekt moves it on.
- You already know
- From "war & hatte": all the forms of war and hatte.
- New today
- When to use them: war and hatte paint the background, the Perfekt tells the events.
- 1war / hatte for background, Perfekt for events
- 2The full paradigms
- 3Prefer war and hatte to gewesen and gehabt
- 4Als Kind …
Why this matters
sein and haben are the two verbs Germans do not put into the Perfekt when they talk about the past: they say ich war (not ich bin gewesen) and ich hatte (not ich habe gehabt). You learnt the forms earlier in the course; here they do a job — they carry the background of a story while the Perfekt carries the events. Das Wetter war schön, ich hatte viel Zeit, also bin ich an den See gefahren. States, feelings, weather, possession, age: war and hatte. Actions: Perfekt. Get that split right and your past-tense stories sound German instead of translated.
Rule · 1 of 4
war / hatte for background, Perfekt for events
Es war kalt (state) — ich habe einen Mantel gekauft (event). Ich hatte Hunger (state) — ich habe gegessen (event). The story is told with both, in that division of labour.
- Gestern war ich krank und hatte Fieber. Ich bin zum Arzt gegangen. Yesterday I was ill and had a temperature. I went to the doctor.
- Das Konzert war toll, wir hatten gute Plätze. The concert was great, we had good seats.
Quick check
Es war kalt, also habe ich einen Mantel gekauft. Which part is the background state?
Rule · 2 of 4
The full paradigms
war, warst, war, waren, wart, waren · hatte, hattest, hatte, hatten, hattet, hatten. First and third person identical; the rest take -st, -en, -t, -en.
| sein | haben | |
|---|---|---|
| ich | war | hatte |
| du | warst | hattest |
| er / sie / es | war | hatte |
| wir | waren | hatten |
| ihr | wart | hattet |
| sie / Sie | waren | hatten |
- Wo wart ihr? – Wir waren im Park. Hattet ihr Spaß? – Ja, wir hatten viel Spaß. Where were you? – We were in the park. Did you have fun? – Yes, lots.
- Warst du gestern im Kino? – Nein, ich hatte keine Zeit. Were you at the cinema yesterday? – No, I didn't have time.
Quick check
Wo ihr gestern Abend?
Watch out · 3 of 4
Prefer war and hatte to gewesen and gehabt
ich bin gewesen and ich habe gehabt exist and you will read and hear them (Bist du schon einmal in Wien gewesen?), but in everyday speech war and hatte are shorter and far more common. Wie war dein Tag? Es war gut. Ich hatte keine Zeit.
- Warst du schon mal in Italien? – Ja, ich war letztes Jahr in Rom. Have you been to Italy? – Yes, I was in Rome last year.
- Wie war dein Tag? – Er war gut, aber ich hatte viel Arbeit. How was your day? – It was good, but I had a lot of work.
resist translating every 'I have been' with the Perfekt. war is the natural form; gewesen is the exception.
Quick check
Wie dein Wochenende? – Sehr schön, danke!
Memory trick · 4 of 4
Als Kind …
Childhood is told with war / hatte: Als Kind war ich klein und hatte einen Hund. It is the first place learners meet Präteritum as storytelling — later in the course it extends to every verb.
- Als Kind hatte ich viele Freunde und war immer draußen. As a child I had many friends and was always outside.
- Als Kind hatte ich einen Hund, und ich war oft mit ihm im Park. As a child I had a dog, and I was often in the park with him.
Quick check
Als Kind ich eine Katze.
Listen
Play it, then pick what you heard.
In context
Hear it in a real exchange
Letztes Wochenende war ich in Dresden. Das Wetter war schlecht und ich hatte keinen Regenschirm, also habe ich einen gekauft. Am Abend waren wir in einem Konzert – die Musik war fantastisch, und wir hatten Plätze ganz vorne. Am Sonntag hatte ich leider Kopfschmerzen und bin früh nach Hause gefahren.
Last weekend I was in Dresden. The weather was bad and I had no umbrella, so I bought one. In the evening we were at a concert – the music was fantastic, and we had seats right at the front. On Sunday I unfortunately had a headache and went home early.
Spot the mistake
Which one is right?
Spot the mistake
Which one is right?
Spot the mistake
Which one is right?
Cheat sheet
What to take with you
- war / hatte for background, Perfekt for events
- The full paradigms
- Prefer war and hatte to gewesen and gehabt
- Als Kind …
How to remember it
- war and hatte paint the scene; the Perfekt moves the action.
- 'Es war schön' — prefer war to 'Es ist schön gewesen' when you talk.
Präteritum
Gestern ich krank. (sein, ich)
Yesterday I was ill.
Report a problem
Exercise
war & hatte (Präteritum) · A2.1
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