Past perfect in German
Past perfect in German or pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) expresses actions that took place before a certain point in the past. It is the German equivalent of the English past perfect tense.
We use this tense in storytelling together with the simple past, to look back at something that happened before a past event.
Do you know when to use the past perfect tense in German? Our simple explanations and examples make it easy to understand. Learn the rules and exceptions of verb conjugation, then test your grammar skills in the exercises.
Example
Beim Talent-Wettbewerb spielte Luise fehlerfrei ein schwieriges Stück auf der Flöte.
Sie hatte sehr lange geübt, bevor sie das Stück so perfekt spielen konnte
When to use the past perfect in German
We use the German past perfect tense to describe:
- an action before a certain point in the past
- Example:
- Sie hatte sehr lange geübt, bevor sie das Stück so perfekt spielen konnte.
Conjugation of German Verbs in Past Perfect Tense
To conjugate the German past perfect (Plusquamperfekt), we need the simple past forms of sein/haben and the past participle (Partizip II).
| person | sein | haben | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person singular (ich) | ich war | gegangen | ich hatte | gelesen |
| 2nd person singular (du) | du warst | du hattest | ||
| 3rd person singular (er/sie/es/man) | er war | er hatte | ||
| 1st person plural (wir) | wir waren | wir hatten | ||
| 2nd person plural (ihr) | ihr wart | ihr hattet | ||
| 3rd person plural/polite form (sie/Sie) | sie waren | sie hatten |
Past Participle
The past participle (Partizip II) is formed in different ways depending on whether we are conjugating a strong verb (ge…en) or a weak/mixed verb (ge…t).
| type | conjugation | example | |
|---|---|---|---|
| strong | ge…en | sehen – gesehen | Ich hatte sein Büro gesehen. |
| weak | ge…t | lernen – gelernt | Du hattest viel gelernt. |
| mixed | ge…t | denken – gedacht | Wir hatten an dich gedacht. |
Exceptions
- Many strong and mixed verbs change their word stems in the past participle. (see list of strong and mixed verbs)
- Example:
- gehen – gegangen, bringen – gebracht
- If the word stem ends in d/t, we add an et to weak or mixed verbs.
- Example:
- warten – gewartet
- Verbs with the ending ieren form the past participle without ge.
- Example:
- studieren – studiert
- Inseparable verbs form the past participle without ge.
- Example:
- verstehen – verstanden
- For separable verbs, ge goes after the prefix.
- Example:
- ankommen – angekommen
